


Compassion and Everything In between

by TJ-182 (xTonyaJacex), xTonyaJacex



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: A mostly feel good fic?, Digidestined of Compassion, Eight Digidestined, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Suicidal Thoughts, i don't know what to tag, just give it a try please
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2020-02-10 07:05:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 103,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18655405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTonyaJacex/pseuds/TJ-182, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTonyaJacex/pseuds/xTonyaJacex
Summary: "She was more than just a friend. She was their voice of reason." - Takeru TakashiOrEIGHT young kids go to camp for the summer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *Warning!* Domestic Violence and implied Suicidal thoughts. Read with caution or DO NOT READ AT ALL if such themes are too disturbing for you!
> 
> I don't detail it deeply, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
> 
> Piano songs referenced: Carpe Diem by Infinite Stream and Fires of a Revolution by MusicalBasics. Both found on Youtube.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, only my original characters and plot.
> 
> I've chosen to use the American names as I don't know any Japanese and would rather not risk offending the culture or language. I also didn't grow up in America or live there long enough to know laws etc. I had to google and research that stuff, so even in it's vague state, if its wrong. Please let me know.
> 
> I watched both the English Dub and Japanese Sub- so I'm using both versions to write this fic. Probably gonna lean more to the Japanese Sub portrayal of Mimi and Joe tbh.
> 
> This is my first Digimon fic so please be constructive with your criticism.

**Chapter 1: Bravery in the Face of Adversity.**

-  _To know her, one would have to understand her beginning._

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

**_[11th May 1998. USA]_ **

A girl of 10 years sits stiffly on a stool. The ache of her back matters little as she concentrates on the instrument before her. She's been practising for more than five hours but the mere idea of stopping is wishful thinking. Perhaps it would be more likely to happen if she was not being so closely monitored.

"Ichika!" the stern woman above her snaps

"Yes, mother." She quickly answers

The child doesn't dare raise her gaze to the woman above her. She keeps them trained on the black and white keys beneath her fingers. She presses and manoeuvres her fingers according to the composed arrangement on the paper. The stiffness in them begs her to stop and allow them some reprieve. She can't and so she does her best to ignore it. She feels a migraine growing at her temple but she must ignore that too. She can't stop til she perfects the piece. She won't stop until she masters it to utter perfection.

The final note rings softly; fading into a haunting drift to the ears senses. She's panting and feeling the ache but above all, she's simply relieved. She's done it, played the entire thing and performed it with no falters.

*SLAM*

She's quick to jolt and pull away from the instrument at the violent action. She swallows the rising panic in her throat and looks at the woman above her. The disappointment and anger in those steely grey eyes shake her to the core. She barely manages to keep herself from trembling in tears. She can't afford to cry, not in front of this woman.

"DO it again! This time do it properly. I want you to learn it and be the best. Perform it until you can play it in your sleep. Am I clear!?"

She knows she should speak, but the risk she'll cry is too much. Instead, she chokes on the word; feels it clogging her throat. A silent response must have been worse as the woman grabs her chin tightly.

"Ichika! Am I clear!?"

"Y-yes mother."

She rubs at her chin after the rough release. She hides the way her fingers tremble as they position themselves above the keys once more. She starts again, doing her best to recall the exact keys, pace and pressure to apply. She closes her eyes and hopes that by doing so she could forget those ever watching steely grey eyes.

It doesn't work….. but it never hurts to hope one day it might.

Only when the jiggling of keys and the door opening sounds, does the woman look elsewhere. She doesn't stop playing. She can't stop until the woman says so. So she plays on as they're joined by a man.

"I'm home." The man greets with a timid smile.

"You're late."

"Sorry. There was a lot of traffic today. Wednesdays can get real busy you know."

The tension in the room increases, so much so it's almost suffocating. Other than the sounds of the instrument beneath her fingers, nothing is said. She should be used to this. It's normal, but still, she can't breathe. Not when she knows what is bound to follow such pressuring silence. It's what happens after that she can never ignore.

"What is that!?"

The man grins but it sits weakly on his lips. He offers the plastic bag of containers up as if it's a gift. The woman doesn't soften at all- in fact, her glare intensifies. The child wants to stop playing but she's afraid of what might happen if she does.

"I wasn't sure if you'd both had eaten. So I bought dinner on my way home."

*SLAP*

The sound echoes throughout the room as she stops playing. She's frozen at seeing the red print across the man's cheek. The fear grows as she watches the woman grow angrier each passing second. Without warning, she grabs the take away food and throws it at the nearby wall. The child ducks and stifles a yelp.

"You think-"

"Please don't!... Not here." The man interrupts softly

The woman stops and looks to where the child sits. With the barest of nods, she glowers and snaps at the man.

"Hurry up."

She doesn't wait to watch him approach the wide-eyed child regarding them. Though she still manages to hear him speak. As the man approaches he grins. It's small and not very reassuring but the child knows that it's filled with sincerity.

"Mom and I are going to talk in the kitchen. Here, put this on. I read it'll help you focus if you practice alongside the actual music."

She looks from the headphones in his hands to the red print on his cheek. Instead of reaching for the headpiece, she grips at the sleeves of his shirt. She doesn't say anything and she doesn't have to. This is routine by now, common and normal for the three of them. She hates it but can do nothing as she is only a kid.

She knows that but still, she hopes today will be the day.

She hopes today the man she calls father will stop the woman.

"It's okay. We're only going to talk Sarai. I promise that's all."

He's lying and they both know it. She can see it in his eyes that he's sad but also accepting. She hates it but can do nothing as her own fear keeps her from doing so. He leans forward and kisses her softly on her cheek. It feels like nothing but hollow assurance. She hates that he does this, pretends as if what will undoubtedly happen next is a one-time thing. However, she cannot think of another way to stop him from leaving and going back to that woman.

"Don't go….please." She begs though she knows it is useless.

The man stares at the child, his heart warms but his mind does not change. Instead, he gently preys her tight grip off his sleeves and fakes another hollow smile. Though the love in his eyes is obvious the child is spellbound with despair at the acceptance she sees within its depth.

"I promise you Sarai, Nothing bad will happen. Mommy and Daddy just need to talk."

He pushes play, and her ears are assaulted by the opening to Carpe diem. She stares after him with wide eyes of desperation but he doesn't look back at her. She can't hear them but when she turns back to the instrument she sees their reflection in the glass of the painting above her. She positions her fingers and begins to follow along to the music in her ears. The stretch of her fingers on the keys barely registering as she watches them.

It doesn't fit.

The music she plays doesn't fit what she sees and she misses a few notes, playing them wrong. She knows it is but the woman doesn't come to tell the child off. The reflection of the grown-ups shows them yelling- the intensity and aggression between them obvious in the glass. The child plays louder hoping that if she continues to play more notes wrong the woman would stop arguing and come to yell at her.

It doesn't work.

Instead, the woman strikes out and the man's head snaps to the left. The child stops playing as her eyes tear in horror. She is afraid for the man as well as herself. She changes the song and instead hopes that playing a complicated piece such as 'Fires of a Revolution' would garner the woman's attention.

She's never practised this one before, but she's heard it plenty of times. She plays it with all the desperation in her small body. The stabbing of her fingers on the keys is harsh and violent, and each time she does so matches when the woman strikes the man. The ache of the child's arms is painful and she can barely stop them from seizing but she pushes herself. The rough way she plays bruises her fingers a blistering purple much like the woman has done to the man.

The child's heart races alongside the musical piece and her head shake side to side to the throes of the composition. So much so it slips the headphones off her head and the yelling of the woman is no longer drowned out by the musical keys.

"- YOU'RE A WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT!"

* **WHACK***

The child stops playing abruptly and screams out for the woman to stop. Her cry is ignored and she runs to try and stop the assault on the man. The woman doesn't stop- her arm lifts and swings over and over- the object in her hand bruising and possibly breaking his bone and flesh.

"PLEASE! STOP IT!" The child cries but the woman shoves her aside.

As the child falls back with a thud, the woman finally drags her attention away from the male. She looks at the wet-faced child and moves to loom over the little girl.

"Do you know why you're father deserves this!? Well!?" The woman sneers

The child is too afraid to respond.

"ANSWER ME ICHICKA!"

"N-no M-Mother." She whimpers

"Because he is a coward. Look at me Ichika! Listen to me and never forget this lesson."

The child reluctantly obeys and the woman looks down at her without any warmth or care. In the background, they both hear the man whimpering in pain.

"Only the best survive and become great in this world. The weak and cowardly are the ones who die."

The child is frozen as the woman stares directly into her eyes- intent on ensuring her words will never be forgotten. Once satisfied she then adjusts her grip on the object in her hand and turns to the man once more.

"I'm doing this for your own good."

It's unclear who the woman is directing her words too. However, her next bout of actions is obvious with their intent…..and this time she has no intentions of stopping.

The child is horrified with terror and fear. She can't bring herself to move and watches the woman beat down the man over and over again. She is so afraid, but just when the man can take no more. Just when the man is so close to falling unconscious, the child feels something of a trickling warmth awaken. It bursts open like a crack in a dam and floods her being. It overwhelms her so much so that she lashes out with it thrumming in her veins.

She attacks the woman with a crying scream, tackles her into the corner of the table and fights to knock the woman unconscious. When she finally succeeds, she is sobbing and blinking in shock. She feels blank and numb but crawls quickly to the nearest phone. She doesn't know how she does it or understands the true miracle of what she'd just managed. She doesn't even realise she's dialled a number until the call is answered.

"911 What's the standing emergency?"

The child is crying and all the operator can hear is her sobs and gulping breaths. She should speak but the shock has her frozen and staring at the unconscious woman.

"Hello? What's the standing emergency?"

"M-my…My mom and d-dad had an f-fight."

"Is he hitting her?" the operator questions.

The child stares at the two unconscious adults and tries to answer the operator's question.

"Um, n-no. It- I-, She stopped."

"I need you to tell me what happened so I can get you some help. Are your parents still fighting? Where's your mom. Is he still hitting her?"

The child takes a breath and seeks out the warmth she'd felt- she clings to it and takes several deep breaths- staving off a panic attack. She stops sobbing enough to properly speak.

"S-She wouldn't stop t-this time. I-I had to- No. T-they aren't fighting anymore."

"Can you tell me where they are?" The operator prompts having already notified the police the address of the call.

"They're r-right here."

"Are they in the room with you?"

"Y-yes."

"What are they doing? What happened?"

"S-she wasn't stopping this t-time. I- I pushed her to make her stop. My Dad he wasn't- wasn't moving much anymore I- I had to-"

The child breaks off into tears and she sobs again. The operator assumes the worst has happened and hurries to speak to the child.

"The police are on their way. Don't hang up until they come okay. When they come you'll have to open the door. I need you to tell me what happened."

The child doesn't know how long it took the police to come. She barely remembers the operator instructing her to open the door for them. When they enter and see the two adults unconscious and a sobbing child, they try not to jump to conclusions. One of them takes the phone from the child while another tries to comfort her.

"It's okay sweetheart. He won't hurt you or your mother anymore okay." The officer comforts.

They'd not managed to get a word from the child, not until they say that. She clenches the sleeve of the officer so tightly- so desperately with eyes wide in fear that the officer startles.

"NO! You got it wrong."

"What did we do wrong?"

The child shakes in the officers hold and points at the woman- not the man.

"It's her. She- She was the one."

Neither officer shows their surprise, but they know better than to dismiss the child's words. After her correction, the scene starts to make a lot more sense. Though rare- sometimes they got cases like these. It doesn't matter in the end as it is still domestic violence. The officers get help for the man and arrest the woman temporarily. They take the child back to the station and begin their investigation.

On the 30th of June 1998, Maria J. Garcia- Kobayashi was charged with felony domestic violence towards her husband Satoru Kobayashi. She was sentenced to incarceration, fined and lost any and all custody rights towards their daughter Ichika Sarai Kobayashi.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

**_[19th July 1999, Japan]_ **

In a small two bedroom apartment, a young girl awoke with slow opening eyes. She lay still for a minute, adjusting to her waking senses until finally, she began to count the seconds. Four minutes later the blaring of her alarm sounded and she finally moved. As she did every morning, she followed her routine. By five am she's completed her room maintenance and dressed. She then leaves her room to finish her six o'clock self-appointed chores. It doesn't take her long to vacuum, dust and arrange the sparse objects in the apartment. As such she sits and watches the clock, counting the ticks until her next task can begin.

By seven o'clock she begins breakfast. It's a hearty meal of eggs, toast, bacon and whatever else she finds in the fridge. She cooks enough for two- her portion estimation concise and accurate. Once dished up and placed on the table, she starts on her lunch. Again it is an easy and simple meal of rice, tuna and tomato. The actual consumption of her breakfast is done in 15 minutes and she packs and washes her dishes away. Once again she has only 30 minutes to get to school and another morning routine is completed on time.

Before leaving she heads to the only other bedroom in the apartment. She knocks softly and slowly opens the door. She stares at the lump curled on the bed and gives a soft smile.

"I'm leaving now Dad." She announces.

She tries not to giggle at how her father scrambles up with disorientation.

"Wha-Already? What about breakfast?" the man sleepily questions as he tries to force himself awake.

"I ate. I made you some too! It's in the microwave as usual."

"You should have woken me to cook it for you!" He sighed with a tight smile.

"It's okay. I also did all the vacuuming and dusting so you don't need to. The dishes are cleaned too." She shrugs.

The man can only muster up another smile at his daughter. She is only 11 but he finds it hard to remember such a fact. When she smiles at him so brightly, he can only return the expression.

"What a lucky father I am to have someone as reliable as you." He softly praises.

"Not as lucky as me. I have to go now, but I'll see you after school. Love you!" She grins with a wave.

He only just manages to say the words before she's turned and left. Only after he is sure she is undoubtedly gone, does he manage to crawl out of bed. He slinks into the bathroom and stares at the mirror. He stares at his reflection as he does every day and hates what he sees. He forces himself to freshen up then makes his way to the kitchen. Just as she'd promised, breakfast is in the microwave.

The man's hands tremble as they pull out the plate. Again, like every other morning, he forces himself to eat the food and tastes nothing but the salt of his own tears. With every bite he swallows, he hates himself a little more. He doesn't stop eating until the plate is clean. Instead of washing the dirty dish, he sinks to the floor and stares at the block holding cutlery.

He stares at it and lets his mind wander.

Before he knows it, he hears the beeping of his alarm and he startles. He hastily makes his way back to his room and dresses. 45 minutes later he hears the door opening and the happy greeting of his daughter.

"DAD! I'M HOME!"

"Mmh in here!" He responds whilst tugging at the tie around his neck- pulling it tighter.

When she turns the corner he smiles widely at her.

"You still working!?" She questions

"Yep, just finishing. How was school?"

She beams at him and launches into a long retelling. Not once does he loosen the tie or stop smiling and laughing. She tells him about how much she loves her class and the topics they learn. She talks about how she loves exploring the school over and over again. She talks and talks, but not once does she say anything about making friends. It's only when they finish dinner and are washing up together that he leads a conversation.

"Do you like it here Sarai?"

She stops and looks at him with a soft but honest smile. One he'd not seen her wear in a very long time. It is hard for him to find anything but happiness and joy on her face.

"I love it here."

"Do you think we made the right choice moving here?" He questions.

He must have slipped as her face grows cautious, hesitant. Despite it, he needs to hear her answer.

"Um yeah… I think so."

"Hm…"

The silence builds between them until finally, she breaks it.

"Don't you think so too Dad?"

She is looking at him so anxiously, and he finds he cannot tell the truth. So he lies to her with a smile and says yes. She stares at him for a second longer before she relaxes and begins to speak on something else. When the next day brings about the same routine- he stumbles upon a solution.

He waits until the 25th of July to tell her. When he does, she reacts as he expects.

"Summer Camp?"

He laughs nervously but doesn't look away from her questioning gaze.

"I know you love it here but I noticed you never talk about any of your friends."

She looks down at the pamphlet on the table. He tries to hide how nervous he is about her reaction.

"It's only for a few weeks, and look! There are a lot of fun things for you to do too."

"But….But what about you? What are you going to do without me?"

He loves her so much, his sweet and caring daughter. He doesn't deserve her, not at all. It doesn't stop him from urging her to agree to go to the camp.

"I'll be fine. I promise you, I'll be waiting right here for you to get back."

He's not sure he can keep the promise but its too late to take it back now. He sees her relax and decides the possible lie is worth it if she is put at ease by it. Only then does he decide to let some truth be revealed and he stares at his hands out of guilt.

"There are some things I need to sort out on my own."

She wilts and the silence is heavy between them. Neither father or daughter want to specifically state what their both thinking about. For her, it hurts because she knows the truth her father is not outright saying- she can read the guilt in his frame easily. For him, it is shame because this is only further proof as to how he is a terrible father and a cowardly man.

Five days later he drops her off to where the camp bus waits. She is nervous but she tries to hide it from her father. It doesn't matter as he is barely paying her any attention.

"You have everything you need Sarai?" He prompts with a jittery smile.

"Yep. I double checked my bag and made sure to pack all my gear this morning."

As the children are called so they could leave, she grips at his sleeve like she did a year ago. There is something desperate in her wide eyes and he struggles to meet them.

"I'll see you when I get back right?"

He covers her small hands with his own and smiles at her with all the love he holds.

"Of course you will. I love you."

"I love you too daddy." She mumbles before diving into his arms for a tight hug.

He holds her and memorises the moment as best he can. When they can no longer cling to each other he starts to wave until she is out of sight and the bus is long gone. Without her by his side, he feels free- weightless and it stays with him until he arrives back home.

The small two bedroom apartment is still and silent. Nothing moves and only the ticking clock is heard. He heads to the kitchen, sinks to the floor and resumes his staring at the block holding the cutlery. This time….he doesn't set an alarm to alert him of the time that passes.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The Adventure begins on August 1st 1999 when  _eight_  young kids go to camp for the summer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My OC is named both Ichika and Sarai. However she primarily goes by Sarai. I chose the name Ichika based off an article I read that said Ichika (いちか) meant : 伽: Best Entertainer 佳: Best & Excellent 凛: Number One Cold 加: First at Increasing 千花: One Thousand Flowers. I chose Sarai because it was similar to the Japanese name Sara (さら): 佐楽: Comforting Music 佐羅: Roman Aid 倖良: Good Fortune 冴咲: Vivid Blossom 冴愛: Clear Love. Sarai is also the biblical name that meant: My princess, and was later changed to Sarah which meant: mother of nations.
> 
> I wanted her to have a Japanese name and a English name.
> 
> My interpretation of the Digi destined's characters are mostly based of the Japanese, eng sub version of the anime. I also tweaked a few of there interactions due to the inclusion of my oc.
> 
> Disclaimer: Any and All recognized dialogue does not belong to me.

**Chapter 2: And so it begins,**

-  _She'd never had friends before, and it showed._

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

**_[1st August 1999, Japan]_ **

So far, Summer camp had not been what she expected. It was fun, but at the same time she felt as if she was cheated. When she'd read through the pamphlet she had been under the impression they'll be kept busy. She expected a constant schedule and thrum of activicty- things to busy herself with. Instead, she found herself with an uncomfortable amount of free time. The entire thing less organised and scheduled than she thought.

After hopping off the bus, they were given a quick round of introductions to their leaders and those in charge. Soon after they were split into groups. It was after the grouping that the lack of organisation became obvious. The girls and boys were split and directed towards the general area of their cabins. The tour had not been much of a tour- more like a 'theres the bathroom, there's the office and there's where you eat' sort of thing. She didn't mind it not being a detailed tour as it meant she could explore on her own. The brief tour only meant she lowered her expectations more than she already had.

When they were finally abandoned to settle into their cabins. She found herself awkwardly hovering by the cabin door with six other little girls. None of them looked to be 11 like herself, only 10 and 12. She fussed by the door unsurely- pondering the possibility of maybe coming back later when everyone else was gone, so she could settle in.

"Oh! Aren't you going to come in?" A girl in a large pink hat questioned.

She was rather tall for her age and had long light brown hair. The other girls in the cabin didn't seem to care about them- too obsorbed with themselves.

"I hope you don't snore cause it looks like you'll be sleeping next to me" the girl huffed with a crinkle of her nose.

True enough, the last bed available was next to the pink hat girl. Reluctantly she trudged over and started to set up her bed. She could feel the pink hat girl watching her every move and it made her stiff with tension. She never liked having somone watch her, not after her mother.

"Why do you have a sleeping bag and not a blanket?" the girl asked again

She tried not to feel judged but didn't manage completely.

"I- Why wouldn't I? It's camp isn't it?"

Isn't that what you do when camping? Aren't you supposed to sleep in a sleeping bag?

"Oh no reason, I just wondered if I was the only girl to bring one. Daddy helped me find the perfect one before coming and it's even in my favourite colour! Look! See!" She happily showed off.

The sleeping bag was a bright pink that matched the perfectly pink hat and dress she wore.

"Isn't it just pretty!?"

"Erm….it suits you."

She doesn't know why but her comment only makes the pink girl smile wider.

"You're so nice! I'm Mimi Tachikawa."

She's still hesitant but manages a quiet reply.

"Call me Sarai. Sarai Kobayashi."

Sarai wouldn't say that Mimi and her became the best of friends soon after introducing themselves. Although they were quite friendly. Instead of grouping together with the other girls like Mimi opted to do, Sarai chose to explore the camp grounds. She'd pack her bag with supplies such as food, water and first aid. Then hike and explore the surrounding area with the guidance of the survival book she'd bought. Summer camp was apparently nothing like the scouts, she realised. It was more like a holiday program, something she found slightly disappointing.

It was during one of her explorations she'd made another possible friend. She'd been taking a break under the shade of a tree when literally out of no where some kid tumbled out from the bushes. He was by far the youngest she'd ever met- looking to be seven or eight.

"Oh! Hi! I'm T.K" he grinned with a bright smile.

She stared at him blankly- her mouth full with a chunk from her rice ball. He was dirty, and it was obvious to her he'd been exploring just like she had. Swallowing the chunk she tried to offer a smile but only managed an awkward grimace.

"Hi. I'm Sarai."

He beamed at her and she wondered what she was supposed to do next. She'd never been able to interact with others much. Not when her schedule used to be so hectic, and nowadays she preferred to explore things on her own. It saved her from questions. At least with Mimi, she didn't really have to do much but listen. TK opened his mouth to say something but then they both heard the call of his name.

"That's my brother Matt. He doesn't really like me going exploring." TK huffed

Sarai could somewhat understand why. TK looked like the type of kid to get into a whole lot of trouble on his own. It wasn't hard to figure out that Matt was most likely just being really protective. If she had a little sibling she'd most likely be just like Matt. However, she chose not to voice her opinnion. As she could hardly judge TK for wanting to explore- it's what she was doing right now too. It was maybe worse as, if she went missing or got hurt during her exploring no one would come looking for her except for the camp leaders. Who knows how long it would take for them to find her as she was only one of the many kids attending.

"Do you want some?" She offered awkwardly- holding out her rice ball.

TK smiled widely and eagerly accepted the snack. He settled down beside her and started to talk about how hungry he was starting to feel. Sarai listened attentively and advised him on the proper way to go exploring. At least according to the survival guide she'd been studying. She'd never had someone else listen to her so seriously before- or look at her with awe. It was uncomfortable but caused a warm feeling in her chest. It didn't take long for TK to start to feel sleepy.

"You're tired. You should rest." She softly encouraged.

"I'm n- *yawn* n-not."

It didn't stop him from slumping beside her and slowly closing his eyes. She triple checked to make sure his position wouldn't cause any aches when he woke and then began to pack up her things. Once more she could hear Matt calling for his brother but this time with more panic. Sarai left her bag breifly and stepped through the bushes that hid her recent resting place. She spotted Matt easily as the similarities between the brother's were hard to ignore.

"Hey!" She called getting his attention

Matt turned to her and narrowed his eyes- the action causing her to tense. The glare on his face was pretty aggressive and he was the first kid she'd met who was the same age. The glare of his eyes brought back uncomfortable memories and she forced herself not to linger on those thoughts for long.

"Y-you're Matt right. TK's over here."

"How do you know my brother?" Matt grumbled whilst walking over

"He fell asleep after introducing himself." She hastily explained while leading Matt to Tk.

Matt looked like he wanted to say more but changed his mind once he saw how comfortable TK was. The smaller blonde looked so at peace to be sleeping that Matt didn't want to wake him. Sarai felt like her obligations were done, and picked up her bag.

"Where are you going?" Matt whispered

She looked to him and tried not to flinch under his suspicous glare.

"I was just taking a break, you two can stay here until he wakes up."

Matt relaxed a little, knowing she'd be leaving and Sarai pretended she didn't notice. She assumed the conversation was properly over and nothing else was left to said. However, Matt stopped her from leaving one last time.

"What's your name?"

She'd forgotten how often one had to introduce themselves when coming across new people.

"Sarai."

"Thanks."

She never thought saying sorry could look so painful until now. The reluctant way he thanked her only added to her awkward acceptance of the apology.

"Eh…..heh… no problem. He looks like a trouble maker." She mumbled

She quickly walked away before anything else could be said between them. Once she decided she was far enough, she hid behind a tree and curled into herself taking several deep breaths. She probably spent no more than 8 minutes trying to calm her nerves. She'd never spoken to another kid for so long before and her mind raced at the interaction. TK had been easier to talk to as he was eager to speak but Matt was rather stand-offish. It stirred too many memories from the past.

After meeting the blonde brothers, She was in no mood to speak to anyone at all.

When it came to taking meals, Sarai noticed that everyone was pretty much grouped. All the tables seemed to be full of loud talking kids. She spotted Mimi among a whole lot of other girls. When the honey brown haired girl waved at her in greeting- Sarai only nodded. She didn't feel like sitting among the circle of girls. As she continued to look for a seat she caught sight of TK by the kitchen door. He looked to be shoveling snacks into his bag like a trouble making little theif. He must have felt her gaze cause he looked to her and cheekily smiled before motioning for her to keep quiet. She mimed zipping her lips and smiled back.

It wasn't surprising to note that Matt wasn't too far away. He didn't look very happy at seeing TK exit the kitchens and was well on his way to lecture the kid. Although she quite liked TK, Matt was kind of scary- she hated how easily he triggered her memories. So she pretended not to see the direction the brother's left to sit for the meal.

She was taking too long to decide a place to sit. Any longer and she would be the last one standing. She could feel the panic creeping up from her stomach to her throat. Just when she was ready to resign herself to eating with the camp leaders or alone, she noted a short boy in the back corner. He was seated alone with his meal tray off to the side. What was most curious to her though was the computer and other electronics set up in front of him.

With every where else incredibly crowded, she decided to take her chances.

She approached the table- thinking all the positive thoughts she could possibly think. It didn't stop her grip on her meal tray from being too tight. Or even give any reassurance, but it helped her pretend that she was brave and things would be fine. When she finally reached the table, she scrambled to say something- anything at all….. she was interrupted before she could.

"Ugh! Not again!" the boy grumbled as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

She froze at his exclamation and felt her stomach sink- assuming he was chasing her away.

"My infa red connection has been playing up a lot. If this keeps up I'll never even get to bypass the first firewall!"

He looked up at her as he complained, and Sarai could only blink. Was he not chasing her away? She fumbled to think of a response but managed to blurt something out.

"Infa red?"

He nodded and then launched into a hefty explanation about what he was doing. She only half understood everything he was saying but was fascinated none the less. As he spoke, he made space and motioned for her to sit so he could explain properly. Though their meeting was a bit unconventional- Sarai finds herself with another possible friend. They only ever eat together- as it's the only time they see each other. Which is spent with Izzy- she figured his name out after he showed her an old email from some person he met on the net- talking about his many theories on aliens and data. Somewhere along the line she managed to slip him her name too, but other than that she doesn't really talk.

Instead, her time with Izzy reminds her off her dad. It's very obvious the boy is smart for his age- almost a prodigy when it comes to computers. He talks in a way you can't help but think of everything he says as fact. After their first meal together, Sarai noticed how he tended to forget to eat- too distracted with his computer to remember. It's that forgetfulness that reminds her of her father.

It only took nudging Izzy's meal tray closer to his laptop to get him to eat. Or sometimes, when he was particularly lost to the net, she'd move his laptop bag and replace it with his food tray. It was a bit funny to watch Izzy pat around for his bag only to dip his fingers in his food. However, it never failed to get him to eat.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

When the sudden storm happened, Sarai had been up a tree re-reading her survival guide. She first noticed the chilly temperatures and then heard the fast whistling of the wind. When she looked up from the book, her eyes widened at seeing white flakes fall from the sky. Distantly she heard the camp leaders yelling for the kids to take shelter.

She'd scaled down the tree faster than she'd ever managed before and found herself running alongside a few other kids. They made it to a cabin and quickly shut the door to wait for the storm to pass.

"Sarai! You made it here too!" Mimi exclaimed as she moved to be closer.

She only managed a nod as she was still attempting to catch her breath from the run.

"Thank goodness, at least I'm not alone- it would have been terribly boring other wise."

Sarai just gave a tiny smile in response, and took a seat on one of the bunks.

"That storm just came out of nowhere!" A boy with googles and thick wild hair shared.

"I think we should all just be glad we found shelter. The adults said we'd just have to wait it out."

"At least we won't be alone while we wait, right?"

The taller boy with glasses was a familiar face. Sarai had often seen him helping the adults with camp duties. She didn't know the girl but Mimi seemed to as she was quick to engage her in conversation.

"Ngaw, does this mean we won't be doing canoe racing Matt?"

"I don't know TK"

"A snow storm in the middle of summer!? That's not normal" Izzy mumbled as he booted on his laptop.

"Do you take your computer everywhere!?"

"As a matter of fact I do Tai. If I manage to get a connection maybe we can find out if this is happening anywhere else."

Sarai couldn't help but notice that everyone else seemed to know each other. She tried not to acknowledge the swooping nerves in her belly at that thought. She wasn't good with crowds and though she's been doing a little better, speaking with other kids wasn't something she found comfortable.

She pulled her legs up and hugged them- watching as everyone talked among each other. Slowly she found herself relaxing. At least them not noticing her was something normal. All too soon, that changed too as the boy with glasses- she overheard them call him Joe- sat beside her. She stiffened but didn't move away.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait?"

She shrugged- not trusting her voice to say anything. She didn't want to show them just how awkward and uncomfortable she felt among them.

"Well, at least you'll be warm. You're the only one wearing a jumper you know."

Oh, he was trying to joke. The attempt helped her ease up and she gave a smile. Joe was nice- very comforting to speak too, talking to him was different compared to the others. She reasoned that it was probably cause he was the oldest kid among them.

"I'm Joe, what's your name?"

She opened her mouth to respond but someone else did it for her.

"Sarai! Hey! You're here too, isn't that great!" Tk cheered as he rushed toward her.

"Sarai, just who is this little cutie?" Mimi cooed as she joined them.

"I'm TK! You're pretty cute too."

Mimi laughed but Sarai just tried not to gape at how smooth TK had just been. Troublemaker indeed, no wonder Matt always tried to keep the little guy in check. The other girl- a red head who also wore a helmet like hat, joined them as well.

"Am I the only one who thought that was pretty smooth?" She mumbled with a giggle

"TK!" Matt exclaimed with hot embarrassment.

As the laughter began to slowly fade, Sarai found herself surrounded. She tried to hide how the crowding made her breath hitch- but she's not sure she was successful as Joe seemed to look at her. He didn't get to say anything as Matt addressed her next.

"We wouldn't have been anywhere near here if TK hadn't wandered off again."

She wasn't sure if he was accusing her or trying to joke. Sarai found Matt incredibly hard to understand or read. It only made him more intimidating in her eyes.

"I made sure I was more prepared this time!" TK added with a beaming smile her way.

"Good job," she praised awkwardly under everyone's stare

When the goggle boy- Tai he was named- opened the door and called out that the storm had stopped, Sarai just barely kept herself from sagging with relief. Everyone hurried to leave the cabin and pretty soon it was just Izzy and herself left behind.

"Snow! This is so awesome!"

"TK! Be careful!"

"Brr, It's freezing. It's hard to believe it's summer. I should've bought a jacket."

Joe followed behind them all with a worried expression.

"Let's hurry back to where the adults are. The longer we stay here-Agh"

"WOW! SO PRETTY! Why didn't I pack my fluffy pink snow boots!?"

Sarai took advantage of the others distraction and took a couple more breaths. The cold outside made her breath visible and was pleasant to inhale. When Izzy began grumbling about his infa red connection again, she felt more ready to face the others.

"Maybe it's just the position? If we go closer to the camp center the connection might get better." She suggested

"Hm… maybe although I think-"

"HEY IZZY! You gotta see this!" Tai called out

Izzy frowned and looked a little irritated.

"Honestly has no one ever seen snow before?" he huffed

She giggled at the pinched expression he wore- he looked quite funny when he was irritated.

"Seriously guys you need to see this! You too Sarai!" Mimi encouraged.

At that, both Izzy and herself shared a similar look. Reluctantly, they both made their way outside to see what the fuss was all about. The entire place was covered in white snow, a sight Sarai hadn't seen in a while. She got lost in bittersweet memories, and during that Izzy had gone to join the others. Only when he began to speak did she tune in and realize what everyone else was gaping at.

"It's beautiful! Magical even!"

"An aurora borealis!"

Sarai looked up to the sky and sharply gasped at the colorful sight. She'd never seen something so magical before. At least- not in real life, though she'd seen plenty of pictures. But weren't they only suppose to appear in Alaska? Izzy asked a similar question and Sora- she remembered Mimi calling her that- agreed.

Joe and Matt started to comment on the possibility of them getting sick. Something Sarai agreed with as even with her Jumper she felt the cold. She didn't know how any of the others could stand the freezing chill as they were all in t-shirts and even singlets. She made a note to find gloves and thicker socks because her hands were freezing.

"Hey…"

She looked over to where Tai stood and saw him looking up into the sky. She followed his line of sight, and spotted it too. A weird circle of green cloud and bright lights.

"What's that!?" Tai pointed

Sarai knew what was happening first as she saw the bright lights begin to separate and grow bigger. She was yelling before she even realized the sound was coming from her.

"GET DOWN!"

The shout snapped everyone out of it and they all dived away from the falling objects. As the snow and smoke started to clear, her first instinct was to look for TK. He was the youngest among them and while she knew Matt wouldn't let anything happen to him. She couldn't remember how far apart the brothers had been. Then she quickly looked for Izzy and Tai. Izzy was small too- she wasn't sure how far he'd be able to dodge. Tai had been the closest to the where the lights had landed.

"Is everyone all right!?" Sora cried out

Matt gave the okay with a protective hold over TK. Joe and Mimi responded soon after while Tai was still looking up at the sky. Sarai found herself breathing out heavily in relief and gave a thumbs up when Sora looked her way. As she had been a little way's behind the others, she'd been the least in danger.

"What was that?" Joe gulped

"A meteorite?" Izzy mused as he crawled to the small crater.

"Don't get too close!" She hastily warned the short red head but he didn't really hear her.

Then the weirdest possible thing started to happen. The small craters began to glow and from them round looking devices floated out. Sarai could only watch with wide eyes as the seven other kids reached out to grab the things before they floated too high.

She felt something thudding against the sole of her shoe, and scrambled back. As she did an  _eighth_  device floated out from the crater she'd accidentally covered. She didn't really want to grab it, but something told her she should. Before she knew it, she was holding a circle device too.

"What are these?" "They aren't- well my guess is some sort of miniature.."

Sarai tuned Izzy out because she noticed the small square screen glitch. She barely had time to ponder what that meant when the other's shouts and screams registered. A huge wave- coming right at them- and she was further away from the others.

They all began to scream- even herself.

Before they all fell, she managed to lock eyes with Joe and Mimi. Joe looked completely horrified while Mimi looked to be reaching out to her. Sarai ran- desperate to try and grab the pink loving girl she'd been friendly with- but was too far and she soon found she was the last to fall.

"I should have gone to cheer leading camp!" Mimi cried with fear

"Sarai!" Joe called out

Sarai screamed as all around her she saw nothing but colors. The falling felt endless, and she could no longer hear or see the others. She managed to open her eyes but all she saw awaiting her at the bottom was white. Many things flashed through her mind, different memories and thoughts- but most of all her regrets.

When she could no longer scream, everything went black and Sarai knew no more.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"We're digimon. Digital Monsters!"

"D-Digital Monsters?" Tai stuttered

After the shock, they all went about introducing themselves. Tai would be lying if he said he found none of it just a little bit freaky. He'd never heard of Digimon- let alone digital monsters before. Although for monsters, they were pretty cute. He was just relieved that he wasn't alone.

"Okay! That's everyone right!?" He announced, mentally trying to recall everyone's faces.

"Wait I'm sure there was another one with us!" Sora protested.

"Two more actually!" Joe interrupted.

"Mimi! We're missing Mimi!"

"We'll where do you think she-"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Tai instantly turned to where the scream came from. He could tell that the others were worried too and none of them wasted time in heading to where it was coming from. It could only be Mimi screaming, and he hoped nothing too bad happened to her. Everything happened pretty fast after that. They managed to find Mimi but then the big bug thing started to chase them. Tai could barely make sense of it all. He could only feel nothing but gratitude towards their newly made digimon friends. If it weren't for them- he's not sure they would have made it.

Tai did his best to squeeze out as much water as he could from his shirt. He'd never wondered what floating on a bunch of fish would feel like, now he knew. It was definitely weird.

"What was the deal with those fishes?"

"Those were my marching fishes!"

Tai got distracted and was busy looking at Koromon- or at least he thinks it's Koromon. The pink round digimon looked more like a dinosaur and was definitely bigger. He heard the other digimon re-introducing themseleves.

"We've evolved."

"What's that mean?"

Though he was asking the digimon, Izzy answered instead. Just how the small red head knew when they  _just_ got here- Tai had no idea. His new friend introduced himself as Agumon and Tai couldn't help but comment on how much stronger all of them had gotten after they changed. Agumon's explanation about how and why they evolved didn't really make a lot of sense to Tai- but with Izzy around, they'll probably figure it out eventually.

"None of that really makes sense to me." Joe huffed with frustration.

"We don't know much either you know."

"More importantly than that. We should be deciding what we should do next!" Matt added changing the topic.

Tai looked at the blonde and wasn't too fond of the expression he wore. How were any of them supposed to know what to do next? They don't even know where they are! Also they just survived a GIANT BUG! Give them a break. Before Tai could voice any of that, Joe spoke up again distracting him from his irritation.

"We should go back to where we came from!" Joe declared

"Huh? Why's that?" Tai asked

"We're still missing one more person!"

Tai looked about and counted seven people- not including the digimon. Now that Joe mentioned it, he did remember another kid with them. Another girl had been with them- but Tai never got her name.

"I didn't see her when I woke up," Sora worriedly added

"Maybe she didn't fall like we did." Matt suggested.

"She did! I saw her fall too, she was trying to help me!" Mimi argued

"Sarai was pretty far back, it's still possible she didn't fall you know." Izzy reasoned

"I saw her fall too- she was screaming just like the rest of us." Joe glared

"If she did, then that means she's somewhere back there with Kuwagamon!" Tk added with worry.

Matt narrowed his eyes at Joe and put a hand on TK's shoulder as comfort. He didn't want TK in anymore danger- his brother is only eight. It was too risky going back up there to search for Sarai. Especially since they didn't even know if she fell with them or not. Matt was not going to risk TK at all.

"While we're up there we could also wait for the adults to find us!" Joe added

Tai didn't think it was acutally a bad idea. Yet just thinking about trying to climp back  _up_  the cliff sounded tough.

"I'm not sure it's as easy as you say…" He mused

"It doesn't look like it'll be easy going back up." Sora agreed

"We can't just leave Sarai up there!" Mimi argued looking a bit peeved.

Tai and Sora shared uncomfortable looks, both unsure of what to do. Only Joe and Mimi claimed to have seen Sarai fall with them. It's not that they didn't believe them, it's just that they weren't sure she did. Joe's idea of waiting for adults sounded really good but it also meant the might run into more big mean mosters like Kuwagamon. Already Tai could tell that Matt was against the idea of going back up the cliff. The deciding votes were left to Izzy, Sora and him, because TK was too small to really have a choice.

They must have taken too long as Matt spoke up again.

"Waiting around just makes us sitting ducks! We should explore down here and look for signs that could tell us where we are. "

"I'm not moving. Moving about just makes us harder to find and I won't leave Sarai behind!"

Joe didn't even care about the glare Matt sent his way. Mimi and TK watched the two face off between them with worried eyes. Tai couldn't blame them as in every movie he's seen this was always how problems started in a group. Izzy seemed to be considering both sides of the argumets and voiced his opinon.

"Matt's got a point, but we don't have a compass. Without that we don't even know which way is north. Plus, none of this looks like a campsite. The vegetation looks more like it's for the subtropics."

"If we did go back, we might find clues as to why ended up here." Sora pointed out

"There might be more monsters like that flying beetle. Oh! I hope Sarai is safe!" Mimi fussed

Tai found that they were just talking in circles. The longer they argued on what to do, the more likely for trouble to find them. Everyone had good points and making a final decision was bound to be hard. Personally, Tai was leaning more to going back and searching for the other girl. He didn't know her, but he knew he was scared when he woke up alone in some strange place. He also didn't want to leave someone all alone. They barely beat Kuwagamon as a group- what are the chances someone alone could beat them. Did she even have a digimon like them?

"I don't want anyone getting hurt!" Matt argued looking at Joe.

"So we just leave Sarai alone and hope for the best!" Joe retorted unhappily.

"Taai!?" Agumon called

"Uh yeah?"

"What are they arguing about?"

"We'll were not sure if there was another kid who fell with us. We're not sure if we should go back and look for her or move on because no one really saw her fall."

"I told you I did!" Mimi glared.

"Another Human!" Palmon gasped with curiousity

"Yeah? Have you guys seen any others?" Sora wondered

"Nope. You're the first humans to ever be on File island." Gomamon piped in

As the others started to talk about the island with the digimon, Tai was still trying to decide on a choice. No matter how he tried- there were just too many ways things could go wrong if they went back. TK was only eight, and the other digimon barely managed to defeat Kuwagamon. Risking their lives on the slightest possibility that the other girl had fallen with them was just too much. Tai didn't want to make the choice- but if he didn't they would just continue to sit an argue. He took a deep breath and made the decision.

"There's no point standing around here." He started gaining everyone's attention.

Instantly he saw the shock and disappointment on Joe's face but also the fear on Mimi's as well as slight hurt. Though he was talking to the whole group, it was obvious he was directing his words more to the two of them.

"I know there's a chance she fell with us, but there's too much risk in going back. We have to make a choice and given how many of us there are. I don't think we can all get back up there safely without one of us getting hurt."

Though Tai didn't name anyone, everyone but TK knew who he meant. He saw the moment Joe and Mimi gave into his words. They didn't fight him on it or argue, but it still left a bad taste in Tai's mouth. He talked on about seeing the ocean earlier and suggested they try heading towards it. As they began to move out, he caught the gratitude on Matt's face and only gave a slight nod. Sora stepped up to his side and nudged him with her shoulder.

"I think you made a good choice."

Tai just sighed and she quickly left to go cheer up the pink loving Mimi. TK was pestering Matt on what might happen to Sarai, while Mimi just looked glum. Izzy hesitated- looking like he wanted to say something but in the end just turned and continued forward. Joe didn't say anything, just stood in place and stared up over to where the cliff was.

"Tai? Are you okay?" Agumon inquired with concern.

Tai heistated but heard Gomamon call out for Joe to catch up as everyone is leaving him behind. Joe turned and caught Tai watching, they stared at each other. Neither of them saying anything but then Joe let out a heavy sigh and marched to where the others were.

"At least you guys made a decision. Right?"

Tai looked at the orange dinosaur and grimaced.

"I only hope is was the right one."

Tai looked back at the cliff and really hoped they weren't leaving someone behind.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Something was on her chest, she could feel it moving. She struggled at first to get her eyes to open but once she did, it took a moment for everything to stop being blurry. The ache of her head was distracting and she struggled to recall what had happened. Then it came to her- the sceaming- the sky- the snow- MIMI AND JOE. She sat so quickly, the thing on her chest fell off with a loud cry of surpise.

"OUCH!"

Sarai looked at the thing that fell and froze. It was small- round with fluff and was that- was that a tail? It looked like a puff ball- but also a bit like a cat or dog. Though it had no legs or arms, just a tail and seemed to bounce like a ball in order to move.

"Finally! I've been waiting for you to wake up!" It squeaked

"Wha- Wha-….." Sarai found herself struggling to say anything.

"You look like you hit your head pretty hard."

Sarai just stared at thing completely frozen. It seemed to take her lack of response as a sign to continue talking.

"I've been waiting a long time to meet you, Sarai."

"Wai-waiting?" She choked out.

"Mmhm…. I'm Wanyamon, a digital monster."

After those words, Sarai wasn't sure what happened. All she knew was that she could no longer breathe and she was choking.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the show I found we don't get to see a lot of the Digimon's dynamics without their human partners. Well in Digimon Tri we did but not as much in the earlier seasons. So I decided to give some scenes for the digimon.

**Chapter 3: Alone on File Island.**

-  _Being alone wasn't anything new. She'd just never been lost before._

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai felt a sharp tightening in her chest as she continued to heave. No matter how much she tried, inhaling and exhaling just seemed so hard. The lack of oxygen to her lungs made her dizzy and wherever she was looked scarier when it was turning; all blurry because of her tears. She thought these attacks had stopped- she thought she had control. The chest pains grew worst and for the fourth time in her short life, Sarai was certain she was going to die.

Now the tears in her eyes fell for different reasons. They fell because she was going to die alone and lost. She was going to die and no one may ever find her. She was going to die and her father would be left all alone. She was going to-

"Please.. Please! I don't know-…what's happening!"

Sarai barely heard it at first, but it was something other than her sharp heaves and sobs. She clung to the sound- focused every bit of her attention on the words being said. The longer she focused on it the better she could hear what was being said.

"Please! What's happening? I can't help you if I don't k-know- *hic*"

Sarai remembered that before her attack there had been something with her. A strange little thing that looked like a bouncing catdog with no legs. She found her mind calming as she slowly began to remember. She wiped at her face, her focus on something physically present- her breathing began to slow. She blinked several times and could barely believe what she was seeing.

The catdog ball of fur was really there.

And it was crying.

It's wide cat like eyes were wet with huge tear droplets. It looked so afraid and desperate- so terrified. The swish of it's tail was frantic and Sarai found her breath stopping for just one moment. It quivered and shook but what it was saying had Sarai in shock. It was crying for her. It was afraid for her.

"H-how can I-I help you i-if I d-don't * hic hic* I just met you and I-I waited so long!"

It was waiting for her? It knew her? Just what did it mean?

Sarai had so many questions but the most important thing in the moment was to comfort the poor thing. It was her fault- she'd scared the little ball of fur. She'd frightened it. It wasn't easy to move, not when her limbs felt heavy and her head still felt a bit cloudy. Sarai stubbornly fought to focus and  _breathe_  for the scared little thing. She needed to get control over herself and calmly think about her situation.

She reached out for the thing and cradled it into her her arms. She focused on the living breathing creature in her arms. She focused on the warmth it's furry little body gave her. She clung to it and anchored herself to the ball of fluff that cried for her. She's not sure how long they clung to each other, all she knew is that she could breathe again. The pain in her chest was leaving.

"S-sarai?" The creature croaked looking up at her.

It must have realized that she'd stopped heaving.

Sarai felt heavy, weak with exhaustion, but she still managed to muster up a small smile.

"Hi?" she croaked

Without the blur of her tears, she could clearly see how the creature in her arms eye's widened. She was expecting the creature to say something. She did not expect it to wail even more and bury itself into her chest closer. It's quivering and shaking form slightly weird to feel in her arms. She had no idea where she was or what the little creature was. However, despite her confusion, she comforted it and weakly whispered to it reassurances. She whispered and repeated the words 'I'm fine' over and over until it stopped its wailing.

She was tired, exhausted and dizzy but none of that mattered in the moment. Not when she could feel relief, pride and affection for the small thing in her arms. Sarai had never had anyone cry for her before- she wasn't sure if she'd like it to happen again. Though she did know it caused a warmth to bloom in her chest.

They lay there for a few seconds longer, simply soaking up the comfort of each other. Sarai knew they couldn't stay here- where ever here was. She knew they had to move, regroup and find shelter. Maybe, if she'd been alone it would have been different. Maybe if she had no one to cry for her, she would have simply laid there and let herself fall into the panic attack without care.

But she wasn't alone- not really, she had this- this small little creature.

A digimon? Isn't that what it said.

Sarai looked around and noticed how it was growing dark. Night was coming and it was a lot more dangerous to be out in the open at night in a strange place you didn't know. She only moved slightly, but the action caused the fluffball in her arms to whimper and burrow itself further into her hold.

"Come on, we need to move. I told you I'm fine. We need to find somewhere safer to rest."

"Will it happen again? I don't want to move if it'll make it happen again!"

Sarai felt warmth bloom again at hearing the pure worry the creature had for her. She wondered on why this little thing felt so familiar- like all her life she'd been missing something and she'd finally found it. Sarai had never felt so complete before.

"It won't I promise. You stopped it and as long as you're with me I'm sure I'll be fine."

The creature looks up at her, with such wide beautiful eyes. Sarai gives her brightest smile, the first she's truly meant since she'd been six. She almost coos at the absolute cuteness of the creature when two red blotches appear on it's furry cheeks.

It takes a lot of effort for her to stand up and move. The heavy weight of her body demanding she simply stay put; stubbornly she ignores it. She fights the feeling because she needs to protect this sweet thing that makes her feel whole. She needs to find safety- she needs to find the others. There are so many things she needs, but right now protecting her new found companion is the most important thing.

Wanyamon whines and stresses that she should let him down. He struggles to get her to let him walk? Bounce? Beside her. She refuses because it's not safe. She won't risk it. Eventually it caves to her stubbornness and pouts sulkily at her. Sarai huffs out a weak laugh and tries to stop the trembling of her body.

By the time they find somewhere to camp she's sweaty and out of breath.

Most of all she's thirsty.

"Sarai?" her companion whimpers with worry

"I'm fine. I promise."

She wonders if she is wearing the same tight smile her father gives her. She wonders if Wanyamon will believe her or see through the mask like she does every time her father says the same thing. She tries not to linger too long on thoughts about her father and the way he said goodbye before she left for camp. She doesn't want to think about the strange tone in his voice or wild gleam in his eyes.

Night has truly fallen and she's glad that where she is, is tropical. She's not sure what she would have done if it was a snowy place or worse. She was aiming to sit but ends up collapsing to the ground in a tired heap. She hears more than sees Wanyamon yelp with panic.

"You're not okay! You wouldn't fall if your were okay!"

She's not okay but she can't afford to be.

She's not alone, she has Wanyamon and Wanyamon needs her.

She has to be okay.

"Let's just stay here okay! I don't think you should be moving anymore!"

Sarai looks at the fluffball and sees how bright it's eyes gleam in the night. She finds herself distracted by the swishing of it's tail. She smiles at the creature and gives in to it's pleads. She hopes where they are is safe for the night because she can't move.

"Human's need to sleep right? You should sleep!"

Sarai wants to protest, but she isn't given the chance to. Wanyamon leaps into her lap and pushes with his head until she falls onto her back. He looks down at her stubbornly with his catlike eyes.

"Sleep! Rest! I'll protect you okay. I'm not leaving you. I'll keep you safe."

Sarai blinks, struggling to process the words spoken to her. She's never heard those words spoken towards her before. She'd never heard someone tell her such things. She's not sure what to do- how to respond. However, her mind is tired and her body aches. The pain in her chest haunting her with phantom aches. Without meaning too, Sarai feels her eyes flutter close and she sleeps.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

As Sarai sleeps, Wanyamon stays on guard by her side. The digimon refuses to be distracted for even a second. He splits his attention between his newly discovered partner and their surroundings. He will not let anything harm his human. He will not let anything near enough to do so.

Night falls and Wanyamon remains vigilant on his watch. It's only when he notices Sarai shiver that he decides to find large leaves to help keep her warm. Then he thinks she might be hungry when she wakes. He is hesitant to stray too far, but is relieved to note the nearby trees bearing edible fruit. He gathers as much as he can with his small size. It's not much but it's enough that he's sure Sarai will gain some energy. When he returns to Sarai's side, he feels proud of himself.

Wanyamon settles and curls into Sarai's side and waits.

He waits for his human to wake.

He waits and protects her as she rests.

He waits and wonders how the others must be doing.

If they'd found their partners as he'd found his.

Wanyamon's mind drifts and he stares at Sarai as if she is his imagination. It's fuzzy, the memories he has after his hatching but the constant feeling of waiting had always been there. He couldn't possibly know the exact amount of time he'd spent waiting since he'd hatched. After all time is a funny concept in the digital world.

Wanyamon had always felt something a little extra, compared to the others. He'd always felt as if he was supposed to leave. He remembered asking Motimon and Pukamon if they ever felt the same. Both said no, only the feeling of waiting had ever been present. That simple difference had been the first clue that he was destined to wait elsewhere.

He'd waited till everyone had gone through their first evolution. It helped let him know in what order they'd all hatched. The first to evolve had been Koromon- followed swiftly by Yokomon, Tsunamon, Pukamon, Tanemon, Motimon and Tokomon. He took the longest to evolve and Tokomon liked to tease him about being the last to hatch. It had only been a 3 second gap, but of course Tokomon didn't care about that.

He couldn't remember where they had hatched- only that it was a wide open field with perfect weather. It definitely hadn't been Primary Village, and he doesn't remember if they had a caretaker. Regardless, he remembered a field of soft green grass and a few bushes that provided food for them to eat.

The day he left is perhaps the clearest memory he had.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

_Wanyamon could hear the others comfortably snoring a few ways behind him. Unlike them, he didn't feel the need to nap. As such he spent his time staring up at the sky- usually star gazing or cloud watching. However, today- he felt different._

_Today there was a yearning in his chest._

_A calling that beckoned him to answer._

_A feeling that told him he was needed elsewhere._

_"Wanyamon? What you doing?"_

_He didn't need to look to know that it was Koromon. The pink ball shaped digimon was usually the one to join him in his sky gazing. As the first of them to hatch, Koromon often took the lead of their little group._

_Yokomon spent most of her time planning what they should do when the waiting was over. Tsunamon was often too shy but was the best cuddle buddy for anyone in need. Pukamon enjoyed flying. Tanemon liked to gather food and make sure everyone ate. Which always left Motimon to mind Tokomon as the latter was too mischievous for his own good._

_Wanyamon never knew where his place was among the group._

_But now, he feels as if his calling has come._

_He knows what he has to do._

_He looks at the pink ball beside him and feels the beginning of guilt. He knows his hatch mate well enough that Koromon won't want him to go._

_"Helloooo?" Koromon prompted while pushing himself into his space._

_"Nothing." Wanyamon lied_

_He should tell him- tell all of them._

_But he knew they would only try to stop him._

_The day continued as usual with games, laughter and more waiting. When the sky darkened, and the stars finally came out. Wanyamon knew it was his time. The yearning he felt was louder than ever. He quietly left the pile they'd all made for sleeping. He hopped a few ways away and looked off into the distance. He was scared- afraid of what he'd face once he left._

_He'd be all alone with none of his friends._

_"Wanyamon?" He turned and found Tanemon looking at him with concern._

_"You're supposed to be sleeping." He fumbles to say._

_He hadn't wanted anyone to see him off._

_To watch him leave._

_He opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. He doesn't have to as Tanemon looks at him with sad knowing eyes._

_"You're leaving aren't you." She softly voices._

_Wanyamon can only twitch his tail in confirmation._

_"Okay. Be careful."_

_She's teary but she's also smiling. This is why he didn't want anyone to see him leave. He tries not to feel guilty but it's impossible._

_"You're not going to stop me?" He can't help but ask._

_Tanemon shakes her head, and her leaves rustle softly._

_"Pukamon told us he had a feeling you would go one day. He told the others and we- we've actually been taking turns. We couldn't let you leave without anyone of us telling you it's okay."_

_Wanyamon starts to sniffle because he didn't even know. A part of him knows he is afraid and scared to leave the field and his friends behind. But he also knows he's different. He's not meant to wait here and he is needed somewhere else._

_He looks at his other friends who still sleeps. Knowing they already knew- knew him enough to know what he would want. It warmed him. Wanyamon hesitates, when his eyes land on the snoring Koromon in the center of the pile._

_Tanemon senses his stare and bumps into him._

_"He'll be okay. We'll meet again, I just know it." Tanemon assures._

_Wanyamon cries then because he knows she doesn't want him to leave. He knows no one wants him too, and that she's lying. None of them know why they wait- they only have each other. Koromon won't be okay and Wanyamon feels as if he's betraying his oldest friend._

_But staying here isn't his destiny._

_His destiny calls for him to go elsewhere._

_"I'll see you later okay?" He croaks_

_There's no denying that Tanemon is crying now but she still manages a sincere smile._

_"We'll be waiting."_

_For courage, Wanyamon looks one last time at his sleeping friends, before he turns and hurries away._

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Wanyamon looks upwards at the dark digital sky above them and wonders about the others. He can only hope they've found their partners, like he has. All he can do is fight to protect his partner until they ultimately meet again.

He hears Sarai whimpering in her sleep and he panics again.

He doesn't know what to do with a human- only the basics.

She starts to cry out, almost as if she is trying to reach for something. Wanyamon does the only thing he feels is right. He bounces his way to her side and burrows closely. He rubs against her cheeks and curls his tail round her shoulders. He suddenly realizes that she's crying. He wishes Tanemon, Tsunamon and Yokomon were here with him. They would have undoubtedly known what to do to comfort his partner.

But they're not, and he is out here all alone.

"I'll protect you Sarai. I promise," He whispers.

He doesn't know if it helps, but she stops whimpering and crying.

Finally it looks as if she'll be able to sleep easy.

A couple ways elsewhere some large digimon roars and Wanyamon squeezes his eyes shut tightly.

He's terribly afraid, well aware he couldn't possibly hope to win against a high level digimon like that.

But he's got a partner to protect and friends to reunite with.

He won't give up until he succeeds

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Tai makes sure that everyone is sleeping. Once he's double positive that they are, he lifts his shirt and checks his ribs. The bruising has started to lighten a bit- at least he thinks so. He can't help but remember the terrifying feeling of being squeezed by Shellmon. Wherever they've ended up is scarier than he thought and he can't help but worry.

He worries about his family- Kari and his parents. Will they ever know he's missing? Does the camp even know?

He worries about his newfound friends. If Izzy is right, and being in danger is the only time their digimon will ever be able to digivole, How were they going to stay safe? Tai hated the thought of TK being squeezed to death just so Patamon can digivolve. Even worse is the fact that there's no guarantee their digimon could win. He doesn't need to ask Matt if he's got bruises too. He already knows what being squeezed by a giant digimon feels like.

Tai looked back at his group and gritted his teeth.

So far they've been lucky.

So far no one has gotten too hurt, and they haven't starved.

Things could honestly be worst.

But none of that is enough to put Tai at ease. He knows that they look to him to make the final decisions. Even Matt does it- though it depends on the choices. He knew Matt would only argue against him if the guy thought TK would be in any danger. Tai couldn't blame him- not when he'd do the same if Kari was here too.

Tai looks over his friends and finds himself checking over Mimi, TK and Izzy. They're the three he worries about the most. Izzy is small, the same size with TK and he is so easily distracted. While Tai is sure Tentomon wouldn't let the red head get hurt, he knows Tentomon can get distracted too. Mimi is struggling with everything the most. She complains about everything and though it can get tiresome, Tai tries not to snap at her. He knows she's not just tired, but also deathly scared. He doesn't think anyone else but Joe has noticed her constantly looking back as they walk.

It's almost like she looks back in hopes of seeing someone chasing after them.

Which brings Tai back to the biggest reason he's so stressed.

No one talks about her.

The other kid.

Mimi had tried but Matt had snapped at her cause it kept worrying TK. Sora had to be the one to comfort the pink loving girl. Izzy stubbornly changes the subject, rambling on about something else until their forced to go along with him. Joe doesn't say anything at all, just tightens his jaw and looks at the ground.

Tai clenches his fists and glares at the fire in front of him.

He hates that everyone is acting as if she's already dead.

The thought plagues him and sometimes his dreams. He barely even knows what this 'Sarai' girl looks like. He hadn't paid her much attention before they'd fallen. It's why he makes sure he's first to watch. He spends his time watching the shadows and trees. Not just looking out for danger, but also in case by some miracle Sarai had found them.

He prays occasionally that she's safe, because he can't help but feel guilty.

If she had fallen too, and was here in the digital world. Tai hates to think about what she must be feeling.

She'd be all alone.

They don't even know if she's got a digimon too.

If she died here…..

Tai can't help but think it would be his fault.

After all he made the call.

"Tai?"

"Yeah Agumon."

He makes sure to fake a smile. The same smile he's been wearing every time they joke as they walk. Everybody is counting on him to make sure they make it home safely. He can't let them see just how stressed and worried he is.

"I'm Hungry."

Tai can't help but laugh and shake his head. The sound a little more real than his earlier ones. He looks at the orange dinosaur and grins. The digimon reminds him so much of a little kid.

"Didn't you already eat with everyone else?"

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry. Hey! What do Human's eat for food."

Tai laughs a little more before letting himself get distracted. He talks about the usual food he'd eat at home. Going as far as to describe them by taste, look and smell. Agumon makes him laugh as he eagerly begs to hear more.

Before Tai knows it, his shift is over and Joe is walking over.

"My turn Tai." Joe says with a yawn.

"I thought it's supposed to Matt's turn?" Tai questions with a furrowed brow.

Gomamon is more awake and so he happily answers.

"Sora and Mimi both agreed that TK needs him more. Joe's going to pull a longer watch to cover for Matt."

Tai rolls his eyes- partly to be dramatic and partly because he thinks it's a little unfair. Yet when he looks over to where the blondes are sleeping, he only sighs. He can't be mad at TK for being extra clingy after their encounter with Seadramon.

"Ugh, fine." He grumbles before getting up and stretching.

He hesitates to actually move to lay down- knowing he'll struggle.

"Hey Tai?" Joe calls while putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Mmh yeah Joe?"

Joe looks at the boy before him. He can tell something's been bothering Tai, heck he knows what it is too. He can't help but feel a welling of shame. He's 12 and Tai is only 11. He's older than everyone and yet he's no use. Instead Tai is the one making all the decisions when it should be Joe.

Joe regrets being so mad at Tai that first day.

He knows it was wrong of him to be angry with Tai for choosing to leave and not look for Sarai.

"Try to get some rest okay." Joe lightly instructs.

He can tell that Tai wants to argue, but Joe copies his dads expression and glares pointedly. It works eventually and Tai sighs and goes to try and sleep. Soon everything is quiet again and it's just Joe awake. Gomamon had wandered off with Agumon but he's not worried. He's sure they could take care of themselves.

Joe hates not being able to do anything. He's too used to always being busy and stressing over his grades. It's why he always tries to help out when he can. He lasts another 10 minutes of sitting still before his leg starts tapping with agitation.

Joe doesn't want to think, not right now.

He knows what thoughts he'll have if he lets himself think about everything for too long. It's just how his brain works. In order to try and distract himself he takes stock of all the food he's managed to store in his bag. He chooses to lose himself to the numbers instead.

Maybe if he does that, he wouldn't worry about Sarai and whether or not he aided in her dying.

Or worse…..

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Gomamon chases after Agumon, leaving Joe and the others behind. It's ridiculous, how fast an orange dinosaur can be. The seal like digimon huffs as he tries to move faster. He wishes he was still Pukamon in the moment, cause surely flying would be faster. When he finally manages to catch up with the older digimon, he's out of breath.

"Phew! Oh Digimon! You sure move fast Agumon." Gomamon huffs as he settles beside the dinosaur.

Agumon doesn't answer.

The orange digimon just continues to stare up at the sky. Gomamon knows that getting the digimon to talk will be a challenge. None of their human partners know about this side of Agumon. Something he's positive Agumon prefers. The rest of their digimon friends have long learned to leave him alone. Gomamon is the only one who stubbornly refuses to do the same.

How could he when it's Gomamon's fault Agumon gets like this.

The two digimon simply sit and stare at the sky in silence. Gomamon looks at his friend and winces at the patiently waiting gleam in Agumon's eyes. Biyomon used to join them, but it always ended in her crying. She hated seeing their usually bubbly and laughing friend so quiet and still. Gabumon was the one to convince her she didn't need to keep forcing herself. Patamon hadn't really gotten it back then. The second youngest of their lot had spent the first couple of days constantly asking if Wanyamon had come back yet.

Once again Gomamon winces at the memory.

It was his idea that they don't tell Agumon.

At the time, he had thought it best. Agumon wouldn't have ever let Wanyamon leave. Not on his own- it wouldn't have mattered if only Wanyamon felt the calling. Agumon would have made sure they all left together. If Gomamon were to be honest with himself, he knows he had been selfish then.

Gomamon didn't want to tell Agumon because he didn't want to leave with Wanyamon.

He knew the others felt the same but none wanted to be the one to make the choice. So he did it for them. He doesn't regret it, but that doesn't stop him from feeling guilty. Gomamon looks up at the sky and wonders where Wanyamon is now. He wonders if his other friend is still waiting. He wonders if he's still alive.

"He's coming back." Agumon voices

Gomamon looks at the orange digimon with wide eyes.

"Palmon did say he promised." Gomamon hesitantly adds.

Agumon shakes his head but doesn't look away from the sky.

"He's okay you know."

Gomamon cringes and looks down. Its no surprise that Agumon could tell what he was thinking. As the oldest of all of them, Agumon knows them the best. He'd protected them the longest. Gomamon paws at the ground and can't help but ask his next question.

"How do you know?"

Agumon thumps at his chest with his clawed hands.

"I can feel it. He's not waiting anymore- I just know it."

Gomamon looks up at the orange digimon and tries to figure out what he's thinking. Slowly it dawns on him why Agumon is so sure. Gomamon remembers how their human friends argued about another kid. It's clear to all of them now that they'd been waiting for their humans. It would make sense that Wanyamon had gone to wait for the same. If this 'Sarai' girl isn't here, then maybe she's with their friend. Gomamon looks up at the sky and suddenly feels hopeful. He waits a bit more before he asks the question he's always wanted to know the truth for.

"Are you still mad at me?"

Agumon doesn't answer and Gomamon holds his breath nervously. The others had always assured him that Agumon isn't the type to be angry for long. He never believed them- not with how angry Agumon had been that day he woke up to find Wanyamon had left. He's both dreading and desperate to hear the answer.

Finally Agumon turns and looks at him.

"I was but not anymore."

Gomamon lets out a huge sigh of relief and beams at his friend.

"Thanks buddy."

"Though I'll only forgive you if you steal food from Joe's bag." Agumon says with a cheery smile.

"Whaat! But Agumon you know how Joe is with the food! The other humans don't even know he's storing it!"

"So?"

"Joe said it's e-mer-gen-cy food."

"But I'm hungry."

"Uggghhh!"

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai huffed and struggled to catch her breath. She took a chance to look back and didn't see the two Monochromon that'd been chasing them. She felt Wanyamon wiggle until it's head popped out from the make shift cloth cradle she'd made to carry him. It took a bit of experimenting, but by wearing her jumper backwards and tying the sleeves under the digimon, it worked okay. It made running away easier and also made sure she could keep the little thing within reach if she needed to shield it.

"Sarai?" Wanyamon questioned with worry.

She hastily plastered on her father's smile and pat him on the head.

"Just catching my breath."

"I told you I don't need to be carried."

She continued to pat him distractedly as she tried to find a safe place to rest. Since she'd woken after her panic attack, Sarai hadn't sat idle for long. Her very first thought and priority was to find the others. She worried that someone might be injured or something bad might have gotten to them. Especially after Wanyamon had hastily told her to hide when a giant red beetle thing flew over them.

She still wasn't sure what a digimon was. Or even what it meant to be in the Digital World.

Wanyamon wasn't able to give her as much information as she hoped. He only told her about how he'd been waiting for her and left to find her. He didn't know much about where they were or how she got here. It wasn't as helpful as she'd hoped, but it was enough to start a plan.

Sarai held her breath as she heard the sudden roaring from behind her. She felt Wanyamon fight to get out of her hold- but a tight and firm grip held him in place. She didn't hesitate to start running again.

"Wanyamon can you tell if any of these are hollow like you showed me last night!?" She quickly asked.

The digimon cast a sharp look about and quickly pointed to the left with his tail. Sarai followed his direction. She could hear one of the monochromon gaining on her but only pushed harder. Just as she was a few centimeters away from the tree a thundering roar came from her right. Sarai gave a startled scream and skidded to a stop- ripping a hole in her pants by the knee and gaining a scrape.

She was stuck between the two rather angry looking monochromon. She couldn't tell if she was hyperventilating or having a panic attack. All she knew was that she was terrified to the point of being frozen. Wanyamon was struggling against her tight embrace, but Sarai refused to let him go.

"Let me go! I can fight! I can protect you." Wanyamon shouted into her shirt.

Sarai watched as both the Rhino like digimon started to paw at the ground. She could tell they were gearing up for an attack. She was trapped and the fear that she was going to die was building once more. She could hear and feel the rapid pounding of her heart in her chest. She was certain Wanyamon could hear it too.

She couldn't think of a plan or way to escape.

"LET ME GO!" Wanyamon yelled again

Sarai felt her fear take over her mind and she unintentionally snapped at the digimon in her hold.

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU GET HURT BECAUSE OF ME!"

Wanyamon tensed in her arms- but she didn't have time to apologize. Not when her shout startled the two Monochromon in attacking. She had seconds to react- one wrong move and they were dead. She figures it must have been desperation that finally got her too move. Before the two could squish and skewer her with their horns, She turned and dashed forward. The two digimon collided with a thundering roar, but Sarai didn't dare look back. She ran and ran till she found herself at the edge of a cliff. She stumbled into a stop and peered over the edge. All she could see was water.

If this was movie, she wouldn't have cared and would dived right over.

But this was real.

She had no idea how deep that water truly was. What if she took the dive only to become a pancake because it was shallow. She could feel her chest start to ache from her rapid heaving. She had a stitch from all the running and her legs trembled with exhaustion. She could hear the monochromon thundering closer- angrier than before.

"Sarai!?" Wanyamon cried with wide eyes both fearful and worried.

She didn't want to die this way.

Not when this little fluffball needed her.

So she smiled despite how tightly it stretched on her face.

"I'm fine."

She turned and stared into the bushes and trees. The thundering of the rhino digimon matched perfectly in time with her pounding heart. She felt Wanyamon struggle against her again.

"Let me protect you!" the digimon begged but Sarai just clutched him tighter.

She pressed his face closer to her chest, and covered him with her hood.

"Don't look." She whispered

Just as the Monochromon burst from the trees. She took a deep breath and fell backwards over the cliff. She braced the digimon in her arms- using both arms in attempt to shield him. She didn't scream as she fell. She couldn't find it in her to do so.

She's only 11years old.

But for the seventh time in her short life- she was going to die.

Their impact into the water stung. It felt like she'd been whacked against he back with a large paddle. It took her a few seconds to realize that she'd not become a pancake and that the water was actually quite deep. Acknowledging that, she didn't waste anymore time. She quickly kicked and swam to surface. The minute she made it to the top she hurried to check on Wanyamon. The digimon was coughing and shivering from the cold water. She was just relieved to know he was fine.

She heard the angry roars of the Monochromon above them and hurried to gain space between them.

Wanyamon couldn't swim, and she was too exhausted to manage anymore distance without use of her arms.

"Quick, wrap your tail round my neck and rest on my head." She ordered

The Digimon didn't hesitate to obey. She'd been carrying him around long enough to know he wouldn't be too heavy. However, it was still a struggle to swim as the current wasn't being nice.

By the time they managed to get to shore- Sarai could hardly breathe and was spitting out water. Her arms trembled as she tried to crawl further ashore. With a bleary look about- she deemed they were somewhat safe. With that in mind, she collapsed and finally let herself rest. She flopped on her back and yelped at the sting. It burned but she was too tired to turn over on to her stomach again.

Everything hurt.

Sarai suddenly felt like crying. She could feel the need crawling up her throat and itching her eyes. She looked up at the sky and felt the urge grow stronger. Not even the sky was familiar. Foolishly, she had hoped that maybe if she looked. Maybe something would register as familiar to her and she'd be able to find help. She hadn't wanted to accept the truth that she was no longer on earth anymore.

While a few tears escaped, no one would probably care of know. Not when she was soaked to the bone from her recent swim. She felt heavy as she attempted to lift her arms. Everything ached and she was exhausted, but she knew she had to keep moving. They couldn't stay put for long. Not when it was just her and Wanyamon.

She needed to find the others.

She's not sure how far behind she is or even if they ended up altogether. All she knew was that finding them was her first priority. Along with keeping herself and Wanyamon alive. It took another couple minutes for her to find enough strength to move again. Stumbling to her feet, she looked over to where her digimon friend was quietly sitting.

"Hey, You okay?" She croaked.

The digimon didn't answer her and Sarai tried not to feel too hurt.

It was her own fault for snapping at the little fluffball.

"Wanyamon?"

Still no response.

Sarai swallowed and moved closer so that she could kneel beside the little thing. Wanyamon turned away from her approach and moved out of reach when she tried to pat him. Sarai winced and slowly pulled her hand back. The quiet between them felt suffocating the longer no one spoke.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." She whispered.

Wanyamon still didn't speak.

The tears she felt earlier returned with a vengeance.

"Why didn't you let me protect you?" Wanyamon sniffled

Sarai choked as she realized the little digimon was crying again. Once again she'd made the poor thing cry and she felt horrible. When he looked up at her- still soaked but with large tear droplets in his cat eyes, She felt her own tears of guilt fall.

"I'm supposed to protect you. You're my partner and I- Why didn't you let me protect you!?"

As Wanyamon started to cry in earnest, Sarai quickly grabbed the digimon and held him close. He tried to fight her grip but she clung to him. It dawned then on Wanyamon that she was crying too. He slowed his crying enough to look at her and she couldn't stop sobbing.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't let you. But I won't stop doing it."

Wanyamon opened his mouth to angrily argue back but Sarai just kept speaking. It all came bubbling out of her- all her fears and how she was terrified. Most importantly, she started to explain why she wouldn't let him. Wanyamon does nothing but listen and finds that his human is nothing like he expected. Sarai cries and talks until all she is able to repeatedly say is sorry.

Wanyamon doesn't know what to do.

Sarai is too lost to past memories to even realize what she's confessing. She's just so tired and terrified.

She's never felt so lost before in her life.

She doesn't realize that what she confesses about herself has started to scare the digimon. Sarai just keeps talking and the longer she does. The more horrified Wanyamon grows. When she's exhausted her tongue completely. Wanyamon buries himself in her arms and she clings to him tightly.

When they both have calmed down, Wanyamon finally has something to say.

"What's a dad?" he whispers softly.

Sarai sniffles and tries to think of what to say.

"A dad is a parent. They help take care of you."

She wipes at her face and tries to remember the happier things about her dad.

"Dad's love you and protect you. They keep you safe and make sure you're always happy."

Sarai slowly starts to pet the furry digimon's head. The both of them now simply damp and cold rather than soaked. She calms herself by focusing on the heat of the digimon in her arms.

"Dad's make sure you're never alone."

Wanyamon pulls back and looks up at her with wide earnest eyes.

"I want to be your Dad."

His words startle a laugh out of her. But he's serious and wants her to know it.

"I want to help take care of you too! I can love you and protect you. I'll keep you safe and make you happy. You'll never be alone so long as I'm with you Sarai."

She laughs again and it's somewhat bittersweet. She tries not to think too hard about how this little creature has shown her more care than anyone else in her life. When she speaks it's with a sad tinge.

"I already have dad."

Wanyamon looks down and softly speaks.

"He doesn't sound like a very good one."

She doesn't say anything to that- just continues to stroke his fur. The sky above them begins to darken again and soon she knows they'll have to move. But she feels as if there's more that needs to be said.

"I thought you said you're my partner."

Wanyamon looks up at her again with confusion.

"Do you know what a partner is?"

"They're friends."

She nods her head but also curls her lip in a small smile.

"Not just friends, they're best friends. Best friends can be just as good as Dad's. Sometimes they're better."

"What do you mean?"

She lifts her knees, so the digimon can be at eye level and smiles widely at him.

"Best Friends do everything that Dad's do and more. Between best friends they share each others secrets. But even better is they do everything together."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

She bites at her lip before she speaks the next thing. She doesn't like the idea at all. However, above all she hates the thought of making Wanyamon upset again. Logically she knows she also can't do everything alone. She still hates the idea. She looks at the little puffball again and knows that she has no choice. It would be too selfish of her to keep holding him down.

Sarai has no idea where she is but the digital world is Wanyamon's home.

She's been alone before but never lost.

She knows that this is the right thing to do.

"Do you want to be my best friend?" She offers

Wanyamon looks confused but determined. When he answers, Sarai can't help but grin. Then soon after she starts laughing. Everything hurts, she's exhausted and lost. She's so far from home and everything she knows.

But she's not alone anymore and she's found herself her first best friend.

Suddenly things don't seem so bad.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Chasing Footprints.**

-  _They never knew just how long she'd always watched their backs._

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai huffed with exhaustion as she tightened the last knot. She grinned at her success, feeling proud of the end product. Wanyamon gave a delighted laugh in celebration. It hadn't been easy but they'd finally finished. It wasn't the best looking due to the crooked weaves and weird colored leaves used. At least reading her survival guide so many times proved useful.

"It's not the prettiest, and it's definitely not perfect, but it'll have to do," she sighed.

"I think it looks amazing!" Wanyamon praised.

Sarai looked at the little fluff ball and gave a short laugh.

She'd not been keeping track of time since she'd ended up here. Especially after Wanyamon had told her time could get weird. The first few days had been the hardest. They'd rested after the incident with the river and the angry monochormon. She'd not been sure what to do after that until Wanyamon insisted he lead them. When she'd asked why he just grinned at her and said he just knew where to go.

Sarai didn't see the harm in listening. She was very limited in options, and who was she to argue with a local?

With Wanyamon leading the way, they covered quite a lot of ground. It helped that they only had to worry about each other. They took turns keeping watch, with Wanyamon guarding Sarai during the day and Sarai walking at night. Since Wanyamon was small enough to carry, Sarai carried him majority of the time. They'd argued about Sarai travelling at night, but compromised and agreed that Sarai would wake Wanyamon up if any trouble came across them at night.

"Are we sure this can all fit inside it?" Wanyamon asked.

Sarai considered the makeshift bag she'd made. The truth is, she wasn't actually sure. The leaves and vines Wanyamon had brought looked nothing like the flax leaves in her book. She trusted the digimon's judgement but was still wary about how much weight it could carry. Regardless, it was too important not to have. They'd just have to see.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," she bluffed with a shrug.

They then started to load the woven bag with as many edible fruits as they could. The path they'd been walking had brought them to a desert. Sarai wasn't too eager to go through a desert but Wanyamon insisted they had to go that way. Again, she compromised with her companion. She suggested they stock up on water and food before they attempted the trip.

It took a lot of attempts before she remembered the correct weave to make the bag. Wanyamon had found a wooden log which she then hollowed out and filled with water. It was hard work and wasn't much, but if they rationed it properly it should last.

Sarai studied the stretch of desert before her. It was intimidating but Wanyamon was sure and she trusted the little thing. She still found herself hesitating to walk forward. Wanyamon shifted in the makeshift cradle wrap she'd done from her jumper.

"Sarai? Aren't we going to walk now?" he asked.

She released a heavy breath and did her best to ignore her nerves. To die in a jungle is no different than dying in a desert. Especially since she's in another world completely. It's the only way to reach the others. She repeated these thoughts in her head before she took a step forward.

She was doing this.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The Yokomon all shouted and yelled their goodbyes. Sora couldn't help but laugh at the sight they made.

"Gee, They really are quite chirpy, huh?" Joe mumbled as he continued to wave.

Only TK and Mimi seemed to really enjoy the outrageous and energetic farewells. Tai just nudged Joe while Matt did the same from his other side.

"Just keep smiling, Joe!"

"Yeah man, you don't want to have them cry that you didn't say goodbye."

All three boys shared a look before putting in more effort for their goodbyes. Only the digimon seemed to find the farewell funny. Agumon and Gomamon were jumping in place to wave while Palmon, Gabumon and Patamon gave demure goodbyes.

"Are you going to miss them?" Sora asked the pink birdlike digimon.

Biyomon shook her head side to side before cuddling closer to Sora.

"It was nice to visit but being by your side is the most important thing."

Sora tried not to feel too annoyed at the clingyness and instead focused on the warmth in her chest. She still thought the digimon to be too mushy for her likes. Yet, Biyomon had digivolved to protect her and only had good intentions. It wasn't fair of her to be so distant.

"I still think there's more to digivolving than simply wanting to protect us," Izzy argued towards Tentomon.

"Izzy, can't this wait till later. We're saying goodbye to the Yokomon!" Tentomon pleaded.

"I'm just saying!"

Together they all began another bout of long walking.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

They'd covered a lot of ground, but Sarai still worried about how long it would take them to find somewhere to rest for the night. She knew from her school books that deserts could get really cold at night. A part of her doubted it was true due to the current heat she was suffering, but it was probably just her mind growing tired.

"Sarai?"

"Hm?"

"Are you tired? You're starting to heave again!"

"I'm fine, I just need to drink a bit of water."

Maybe a little bit of water would help her think.

Together the two of them drank from the makeshift bottle. She took a fruit out of the bag and halved it between them. Sarai usually gave most of the food to Wanyamon, but the digimon caught on the last time she tried. She sighed and made a show of eating the same amount as the digimon. Only then did Wanyamon beam at her and begin to eat as well. Despite the fussing of her companion, Sarai had come to really care for the fluff ball.

"Are you sure we have to keep walking this way?" she asked.

Wanyamon nodded but continued to loudly chew it's way through another fruit.

Sarai squinted into the distance, hoping to see something other than more desert. At first she thought it was just her mind seeing things. She quickly gulped at bit more water and looked closer. Hope started to grow in her chest and she prayed it wasn't her imagination.

"Wanyamon look! I think I see a village!"

"See I told you!"

As they were both renewed with energy, it didn't take them long to make it to the village. The closer they got the more despairing she felt. It wasn't till they made it to the little village that Sarai felt dread. The place was so tiny, obviously not meant for humans. She'd truly hoped they'd come across some more humans.

"LOOK another Human!" one of the pink things exclaimed.

Sarai felt her hope return full force and could barely speak. She was glad Wanyamon took the lead as she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Wanyamon could feel Sarai's hope. He knew she was hoping to meet with the other human friends of hers. He worried she might fall into another one of those invisible attacks again. It was why he decided to talk to the Yokomon for the both of them. He hadn't come across a Village of Yokomon before. Other than his fellow hatch mate, Wanyamon hadn't come across many other digimons.

"Did you say another human? You've seen more humans!?" he asked one of them.

"Mmhm! They came here with other digimon and a Biyomon."

He shouldn't, he really shouldn't let himself hope. Only- it makes sense right? If he'd been waiting for his human- Sarai, then surely the others must have too. Maybe their humans were Sarai's friends.

"Did you see a Koromon or Motimon with those humans?" he asked.

The Yokomon looked confused and all shook their heads.

"No, sorry. Though they did have a Agumon and Tentomon."

Wanyamon wilted but then wondered if maybe… maybe his hatch mates had digivolved. He turned to his human when he heard her give a sharp gasp. Sarai bent down to the Yokomon's level and practically begged them to answer her question.

"The humans! Did one of them have a really big pink thing on her head? It's called at hat!"

"Oh! I think so?" "YES! YES!" "She had a Palmon with her!" "She was loud." "She didn't like our food much!" "What does the pink thing do?" "Why did she wear it on her head?"

Sarai didn't seem to hear the Yokomon's questions, she was too happy. Wanyamon could feel her joy and moved closer to her side. He curled his tail around her arm and she scooped him into a cuddle.

"Sarai? Is she one of your human friends were looking for?" he asked.

She could only nod, it was then he realized that her eyes were teary. He panicked and quickly curled closer ready to do all he can. He couldn't feel or sense any fear or pain from her, just a very bright and warm feeling.

"They're okay, Wanyamon. They're all okay!" Sarai whispered with disbelief.

Wanyamon then realized just why Sarai was being so weird again. She had been worried about her friends. The Yokomon had eagerly shared everything that happened when the other human's had been with them. All the while Sarai listened to every word with desperate ardor. When they finished talking, Sarai then laughed with so much relief and joy.

"That's them Wanyamon! That's all of them! We're close to them!"

Wanyamon laughed along with her but he felt uneasy. He didn't know why, but something in the way Sarai seemed to speak worried him. Ever since they'd traveled together, Wanyamon was discovering a lot of things about his human.

Sarai was the first human he'd ever met.

Maybe it was just something humans did?

He made up his mind and decided to wait. He just had to make sure they caught up to the other humans and see.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Mimi.

TK.

Izzy.

Everyone.

They're all okay.

They're alive.

Sarai wanted to hurry and catch up with them immediately. She didn't care about distance or time anymore- she wanted to see them with her very own eyes. She wanted to make sure and prove to herself that they really were fine. The Yokomon all started to pander for her attention and Sarai tried to be kind in telling them she couldn't stay long.

"Wait! Please! We need you to help us!" one of them cried.

Sarai couldn't turn away after hearing that. She looked to Wanyamon but the digimon only blinked up at her. She smiled at him before kneeling to comfort the poor little Yokomon. The other Yokomon's looked unsure and whispered but they didn't stop the little Yokomon for speaking.

"What happened?"

"You see, After the other's had saved Meramon and left, we invited Meramon to join us to eat to show thanks. He's always protected us and we've never invited him to eat. We think that maybe if we had, he wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Sarai could tell that the Yokomon all genuinely felt guilty about not inviting this Meramon to join them. She thought it was sweet of them to want to do better now.

"But since then Meramon hasn't come at all! What if he's been attacked again and we just don't know?"

It was a valid point, and now Sarai herself felt worried for this Meramon digimon. She looked towards Miyarashi Mountain and wondered. It must be lonely up there. Would it really be too terrible an idea to go check on this Meramon?

"Sarai? What do you think?" Wanyamon asked.

She really wanted to catch up with the others. She's not even sure how far they'd probably gotten but….. she looked at the Yokomon that surrounded her. If the others had gone out of their way to help the Yokomon then they obviously care a lot about the little pink things.

How could she not do the same?

"I'm not familiar with this Meramon, so how about I take one of you with me?"

"Wah! Sarai?" Wanyamon started.

"Really? None of us have ever left the village before! I don't think we could make the walk there!"

There was an easy solution to that. She smiled and bent down to pick up the distressed Yokomon, they weren't any heavier than Wanyamon. She could do it. She made sure to smile widely and be very reassuring.

"Don't worry, I can carry you there. I'm sure Meramon would love it more if you asked after him in person."

"Sarai!" Wanyamon exclaimed while the Yokomon started to cheer with excitement.

"Mmh?"

"You're carrying a lot of things already!"

Sarai quickly hushed Wanyamon and urged the Yokomon to continue to cheer. As they were distracted she quickly whispered towards Wanyamon. She could tell the digimon was worried for her, it was sweet but Sarai couldn't just leave the Yokomon like that.

"I'll be fine Wanyamon. They don't weigh anymore than you do."

Wanyamon's tail swished frantically in tandem with the digimon's stress.

"But you're also carrying the bag with the food and the water!"

"It's okay, we ate most of it already so the bags really light now," she quickly countered.

"Sarai!"

"It's fine Wanyamon, I promise."

She kissed the puffball's head and smiled warmly in assurance. She saw how he hesitated before finally giving in, with a loud huff Wanyamon cuddled close.

"Fine, but I won't let you carry both of us. I'll walk on my own while you carry the Yokomon."

Sarai really wanted to argue, but decided it would be best to let Wanyamon win this one.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"Did it have to be through the sewers!? Ugh! This place stinks!" Mimi whined

"Andromon said it would lead-"

"Can we really trust a robot that tried to kill us?" Matt mused cutting Joe off.

"Hey, don't blame Andromon! It was that black gears fault!" Sora scolded.

"That was kind of mean Matt, he said he was sorry," TK added.

The older blonde huffed but didn't say anything else. Of course everyone would simply move on, but Matt couldn't. How could he when the terror he felt at almost losing TK had froze him in place. In that one moment Matt's worst nightmare had almost come true. If Gabumon hadn't pushed TK out of the way, his baby brother would have-

"Matt?" Gabumon prompted.

"Tch, it's nothing Gabumon."

"Tai what are you thinking about?" Agumon asked.

Tai looked at the orange digimon and couldn't hide the worry on his face. This was the second time a digimon infected by a black gear had tried to kill them. Just what were those Black Gears? Where were they coming from? It worried him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Joe looking just as worried.

"As long as we stick together I'm sure we'll be okay," the older boy comforted.

Joe didn't need Tai to speak to know what he was thinking. All of them were coming to understand that there was a lot of things Tai thought about. It was hard to remember just how big a burden they placed on the poofy haired boy when he was always cracking jokes and making them laugh. Despite the wide smile and happy cheer of enthusiasm Tai gave after Joe's comfort, Joe could tell it was strained.

"Hey Joe, what's up?" Gomamon asked.

Joe looked at the digimon blinking up at him curiously and released a heavy sigh. All he could do was keep trying,

"I really hope we run into some humans soon," Joe whimpered.

"Are you saying digimon are bad company!?" Palmon questioned.

"Of course not!" Joe quickly defended, soon the group broke into light bickering.

Hardly anyone noticed Izzy quietly lagging behind and typing on his laptop. The red head's brows were furrowed as he tried to sort out why the program didn't work for Patamon too.

"Izzy, you're going to fall behind if you focus so much on your laptop," Tentomon pressed.

"Why? Just what am I missing? How can I make it work?" Izzy mumbled to himself.

"Is it really that important?"

Izzy looked at the insect like digimon, his eyes dark and serious. Matt might think he was the only one who remembered, but that wasn't true. Izzy couldn't forget the fear that gripped him at almost seeing TK killed by Andromon's attack. He's certain the same could be said for everyone else, except maybe TK himself. This world was filled with so many dangerous things and so far their digimon digivolving have been the only way they've survived.

If Izzy could repeat what he'd done with Tentomon for the others, they could be better prepared. He hated leaving it to chance and the heat of the moment. Izzy was sure no one wanted to be close to physical harm or such in order to have their digimon digivolve.

"I just got to figure the algorithm for the program out and maybe…"

Tentomon frowned at seeing Izzy lose himself to his mumbling. He felt Palmon come to his side and nudge him in comfort, but shook his head in response. Izzy's obsession with his laptop was starting to worry the insect digimon. He feared that his human partner might start drifting from the others.

"Don't worry Tentomon, I'll help you," Palmon assured.

He watches as she then goes to Mimi and whispers into the pink loving girls ear. Not long after, both Palmon and Mimi have gathered around Izzy and are pestering him about what he's doing on his laptop. Tentomon relaxes in relief and gratitude before he hurries over to ensure the two don't pester Izzy so much he gets angry.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The Yokomon was very…. Chatty compared to Wanyamon. It was actually more tiresome trying to respond than it was actually walking and climbing Miyarashi Mountain. When they finally reached Meramon's cave, Sarai was extremely relieved.

"Meramon!" the Yokomon cried out.

" A Yokomon? What are you doing here at my mountain?"

When Meramon came out from his cave, Sarai was startled. She had known this world was nothing like her own. With all the monsters she'd seen already, she really should have expected this. It didn't stop her from yelping in surprise at seeing a literal flaming demon giant walk out from a cave. She vaguely took note of Wanyamon jumping in front of her protectively.

"Wanyamon and his Human brought me. We were worried about you, you never came to eat with us. What happened Meramon?"

At the question, Sarai swore she saw guilt in the flaming digimon's eyes. She's not sure as soon after it turned into anger and he roared at them to leave. Of course, it scared the poor Yokomon and only served in angering Wanyamon.

"GO AWAY!"

"HEY! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA! DON'T BE MEAN TO YOKOMON!"

Meramon growled and he lifted his arm. Sarai isn't sure what happened as the image before her flickered. Suddenly instead of Meramon she saw her mother and father. The sudden memory prompted her to react before she even knew what she was doing.

_ICHIKA_ "SARAI!"

Her two names overlapped but it didn't stop her from stepping in front of both digimon. The burn of Meramon's flames turned her skin red and made her sweat. Though he didn't touch her, having stopped himself just in time from actually striking her. She trembled where she stood but did not move. She met Meramon's glare and saw how his black eyes widened in shock and alarm.

"Please! I know you're upset but the Yokomon were just worried! They were afraid something bad had happened to you!" she hurriedly said.

Meramon looked from her to the whimpering Yokomon. Wanyamon was quick to stand at Sarai's side and support her.

"It's true! When you didn't come down to eat with them, they worried a black gear or attack stopped you from coming!"

Sarai saw how guilt started to shine through his dark eyes. She tentatively eased out of her defensive stance.

"Is that true?" Meramon asked the frightened Yokomon.

"Mmhm, we were worried for you. We're friends aren't we?"

Meramon wilted completely and the heat of his flames grew calmer. Wanyamon and Sarai shared a look but warily stood aside so the Yokomon could move closer to the fiery digimon. Suddenly Meramon confessed why he never came. The two digimon discussed things among each other and Sarai watched on with relief.

"Sarai?"

"Hm?"

"You tried to protect me again," Wanyamon whispered.

She froze and felt guilt grow at remembering her promise. She'd done it again, attempted to shield her digimon friend. She had to stop, she promised that they would protect  _each other_ **equally.**

"I'm sorry. I'll try harder."

Wanyamon growled in what sounded like frustration.

"It's not that I just want you to stop. It's just that you-"

"Yokomon says that it's thanks to you they'd made it here so quickly and safe," Meramon interrupted.

He had the Yokomon cradled in his hand and Sarai wondered how the pink bulb wasn't screaming in pain. She wondered why she wasn't smelling a live barbecue. She grew sheepish as the Yokomon and Meramon thanked the both of them for going out of their way to help.

"Eh heh, It's not a problem. Seriously! My friends helped you first so obviously they care a lot about you. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't do the same for someone they cared for?"

"Ah yes! The other humans! Why aren't you travelling with them?" Meramon asked.

"Oh, We got separated when we arrived. I've been trying to catch up to them ever since. If I didn't have Wanyamon with me, I'm sure I would be very lost," She answered while looking at the fluffball fondly.

Meramon grew confused as climbing his mountain to bring the Yokomon was not a short trip. If she'd brought the Yokomon she's already lost a lot of time and her friends could have traveled further ahead. Sarai knew all this, but seeing the issue between Meramon and the Yokomon solved made it worth it. Meramon decided that he should repay Sarai and Wanyamon for the favor.

"It'll be much quicker if I take you down the mountain on my back! It will save you lots of time!"

Immediately Sarai wanted to say no. She suddenly saw herself and her precious partner as charcoal toasted pieces. Despite her refusals both the Yokomon and Meramon insisted. It was only Wanyamon's assurance that had her agreeing to the ride.

"Are you sure we won't burn?" she whispered warily.

"Mmhm, Meramon can control the heat of his flames and redirect which parts of his body burns."

Sarai supposed she could add being carried by a fire demon digimon and surviving to her ever growing list of things she'd done this summer. As Meramon raced his way down the mountain, they all shared a rather pleasant conversation. She couldn't help but smile and giggle at the embarrassed expressions Meramon made due to all the praise the Yokomon lavished on him. For a moment, Sarai met Wanyamon's intent gaze and her digimon partner beamed back at her. Despite being even further delayed in meeting with the others, Sarai felt… she felt happy.

It was a feeling she'd not felt in years, and she never knew just how much she missed it.

The digital world was still scary.

She was no fool to stop thinking it was dangerous due to all the friendly digimon she'd met.

But she'd never felt so Alive before, and a small part of her never wanted it to stop.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

It took awhile for Monzaemon's lovely attack to wear off. However, once it did, Mimi could tell she wasn't the only one feeling worse off. The lack of warmth and sudden cold reminder that they were so far from home was enough to make her want to cry.

"Mimi? What's wrong?" Palmon asked.

Everything. Everything was horribly wrong. This is not at all what she expected to happen when she agreed to Summer Camp rather than Cheer leading. She missed her bed, being able to be eat all her favorite meals and her parents. Above all else, Mimi couldn't stop thinking about Sarai.

She saw her fall- both her and Joe saw Sarai.

Mimi knew without a doubt the other girl was in the Digital World too.

She simply knew it to be true.

Sarai was somewhere in this world all alone, probably scared or- or- *hic*

"Mimi! Wha- Why are you crying Mimi?" Joe exclaimed.

When Palmon had hurried over to Gomamon looking very concerned, he instantly knew something was up. He just hadn't expected to find Mimi so upset she was crying. Sure, she often whined and complained throughout their travelling, but he'd not once seen her actually cry like this. He also considered the fact she was further away from the others, hidden among bushes and rocks.

He knelt down beside her and did his best to calm her down so he could hear what was wrong. It took awhile but before long she started to talk. The minute Mimi said her name, Joe felt all the dark thoughts he'd been ignoring come barreling forward. Suddenly, he too wanted to hide away and cry.

"Joe, what if she's dead and we left her behind!? What if we make it back home and she doesn't! How are we going to tell the others- Her Family!?" Mimi lowly sobbed.

This was not a conversation either of them wanted the others to hear. Especially TK, Matt would be terrifying if the eight year old should over hear. Tai may have made the decision for them to leave, but they all chose to follow it. Joe could have stayed behind, he could have looked for Sarai himself and caught up with the others after he found her.

Mimi looked up at him waiting for an answer but Joe had no idea what to say.

Thankfully, he didn't have too.

"Aw don't cry Mimi. I'm sure your friend is okay." Palmon reassured.

"How would you know?" Mimi huffed snappily.

Joe noticed the strange fidgeting both Gomamon and Palmon gave at her words. For some reason Gomamon looked guilty for just a second while Palmon looked incredibly sad. It was Gomamon who answered, looking rather distant as if his mind was elsewhere when he did.

"She doesn't. Nobody does and we won't ever know. What we can do is believe and trust that they are."

Palmon stepped forward and placed an arm on Gomamon's back but smiled directly at Mimi.

"I'm sure you're friend is just as worried about you. She's probably doing her best to catch up with us."

Joe didn't need any prompting and immediately offered a few words of comfort of his own. He placed a hand on Mimi's shoulder and gave his best smile. It was a smile he practiced in the mirror, a smile his brother said Doctor's needed to learn.

"I know it's scary- everything we've seen and managed to survive so far isn't something any of us kid's should have experienced. But Palmon and Gomamon are right, we have to believe Sarai is fine."

"But-"

Joe continued to speak over Mimi's attempt to interrupt. He tried to sound firm and sure of himself when he did. He didn't want to say it but he had to consider it a possibility. The reality none wanted to discover is the truth.

"Even if Sarai isn't, I'm sure she wouldn't want to see you like this. I didn't know her for long but she had been trying to  _save_  us. I'll never forget that."

Mimi sniffled a bit but thankfully her tears started to stop.

"You know Joe, you're really good at this," Mimi wearily smiled.

She was still upset and by no means over it, but Joe was right. Out of everyone, she probably knew Sarai the longest- not the best but the longest. Sarai seemed to be very caring and Mimi wouldn't dishonor her friend by wallowing. Mimi put on her most determined face and wiped her face clean. She smiled as cheerfully as she could until it hurt her cheeks.

"OKAY! All better now! Well Joe, what do you know! I'm all better see!" she madly giggled.

"Really? Because to me you look-"

"Sh!" Palmon quickly hushed by hitting Gomamon on the head.

Mimi let out another mad round of laughter before she urged them to join the others. Joe watched the pink loving girl go with a frown. Gomamon rubbed at his sore head and looked to his human for an explanation.

"What was that all about?" the digimon asked.

Joe didn't answer, unable to forget the tears in Mimi's eyes. He knew she was pretending and he hadn't helped her a bit. Once again, Joe felt like a failure. He was the oldest of the group and yet it was Tai leading them.

What was he doing?

How could he ever hope to be a Doctor if he couldn't even take care of this group of kids!?

Joe privately vowed that from here on out- he was going to step up and do better. No more keeping quiet on the sidelines when it came to making the big decisions. From here on out, Joe was going to act his age and be mature.

Gomamon worriedly watched Joe but in the end said nothing.

They then joined the others and no one noticed they'd been gone. No one seemed to find anything wrong with how Mimi laughed or how Joe seemed to be speaking out a lot more.

The digimon shared a look with each other.

Perhaps they needed to have a meeting of their own, one where their humans couldn't hear?

Agumon scratched at his nose and shook his head as subtly as he could. All the digimon reluctantly relaxed. They trusted Agumon, followed his lead and if he was sure a meeting could wait, then that's what they would do.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Meramon had told them about the factory. He couldn't be sure that the other's had passed through it but suggested it was their best bet. Sarai only followed his suggestion because Wanyamon had assured her it was the way to go. The walk to the factory hadn't taken too long.

"LOOK! There it is! See I told you!" Wanyamon boasted.

Sarai laughed and kissed his head again as a reward. She giggled at hearing the digimon purr and cuddled him close. She hadn't needed to carry him, but wanted to anyway. It shouldn't be possible but Wanyamon was truly wiggling his way into her heart. She hadn't known the fuzz ball for long but already she knew she would do anything to keep him safe.

She wondered if this is how her father felt about her.

The thought of her Father had her thoughts darkening again. She worried for him, unable to forget the uneasy feeling his goodbye had given her. How long had it been in the real world? Did he know she was missing? Is he trying to find her?

Is he still waiting for her?

"Sarai?" Wanyamon whimpered lowly.

"Hm?"

"You're doing it again?"

She didn't know how but Wanyamon could always tell when her mood would grow dark. She cuddled him closer and tried to assure herself and him.

"I'm fine," she whispered.

Perhaps not now, but in time, she will be.

She had to be.

Wanyamon said nothing more and she quickly continued onward to avoid speaking more on it. The Factory wasn't as loud as she expected. She also was surprised by how empty it was. Something about the lack of workers unnerved her and she let go of Wanyamon. It would give her a better chance of protecting the fluffy digimon.

She promised they would protect each other equally, which meant she couldn't just run with Wanyamon in her arms. No matter how much she wanted to.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" She called.

There was no answer, just the continuous clanking of metal. She noticed a pile of abandoned clogs and screws. She didn't hesitate to grab a pair of cogs and hold them up in defense. They were lighter than she expected and the perfect size to grip. She tapped the metal pieces against each other and marveled at the sound it made.

"What do you need those for?" Wanyamon curiously asked.

Sarai grinned and held them up like a boxer would his fists. They were perfect makeshift knuckle dusters.

"We're partners- best friends remember. We protect each other."

The smile that bloomed on Wanyamon's face was worth it and Sarai vowed to protect the fluff ball no matter what. It was in this moment she knew that going home would be harder than she expected.

Because going home meant leaving Wanyamon behind.

And Sarai didn't think she could do that.

She heard the thudding of loud footsteps and started to panic. Anxiety, fear and stubborn determination kept her in place. Together, Wanyamon and Sarai waited for the owner of such footsteps to appear.

At this point, she really shouldn't feel so surprised. After all, she'd seen a giant bug, rhino hybrids, pink bulbs and giant fire demons. A Giant RoboCop really shouldn't be all that shocking.

And yet that was exactly what she felt.

"Oh! Another Human!" Andromon exclaimed with shock.

It was a silly move to make but the minute Andromon mentioned 'another human', Sarai lowered her fists. The overwhelming hope surged forward once again and she carelessly stepped closer to the robot digimon. Wanyamon didn't hesitate to protectively poise himself by her side. Unlike Sarai, Wanyamon didn't let his defenses drop- he had to protect her.

Andromon observed the Baby digimon with interest. Unlike the other digimon this one had yet to digivolve to it's Rookie level. He then contemplated the human child it seemed to be protecting. The human child looked similar to the other children- but it didn't stop him from wondering why their digimon had yet to digivolve.

Just what had been different with this one?

"You've seen other humans! How many!?" Sarai all but demanded.

Andromon checked his data memory and told her about his encounter with the seven children. After he'd finished his recount, Sarai all but collapsed with relief.

"Seven! They're still together- we haven't lost anyone," she mumbled.

Interestingly enough the Wanyamon glared at Andromon fiercely. According to his database, Wanyamon's are rather childish and friendly. He knew they easily grew emotionally attached to others, but had never considered this! This Wanyamon was practically glowering at him with a very protective stance before the human.

It was fascinating to see the strength of this Wanyamon be so fierce.

Enough to have him wary, which was silly as Andromon out leveled the baby digimon.

"How long ago did they pass through? Do you know where they went? Where they were heading?" Sarai hastily questioned.

Andromon answered but once again he was staring at the Wanyamon. The little thing had formed a bubble and had yet to stop glaring. Andromon blinked in wonder, he knew that Wanyamon used their bubble attack as a form of intimidation. After he'd distractedly answered all of the human's questions, Sarai had turned with happy eyes to the Wanyamon.

Like a switch, the little digimon smiled cutely and happily embraced the human. It didn't stop the Wanyamon from eyeing Andromon from over her shoulder.

Incredible! The Wanyamon was practically threatening him.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

They didn't waste any more time. Sarai hurriedly thanked Andromon for the information. After gaining his permission to keep the cogs, she dumped them in her makeshift bag and gathered Wanyamon in her arms. If she ran, she'd be that much closer to catching up. If she ran, it'd just be that little bit sooner and she'd catch up.

She couldn't stop.

She couldn't rest.

Navigating through the sewers were hardly a challenge. It was as if Wanyamon could sense her impatient desperation. He guided her with ease and she just kept running. She ignored the ache of her feet, the thudding of her heart and huffing of her breath. She ignored the exhaustion that screamed for her to rest. She just kept pushing.

"Sarai STOP!" Wanyamon shouted suddenly.

She immediately froze in place. She tensed and slipped one hand into the makeshift bag. She gripped one of the cogs and scanned her surroundings. Both she and Wanyamon scoping the area tensely. Wanyamon could feel something strange in the air- it was heavy- oppressing and felt extremely….. **Wrong.**

The empty field they were in was quiet.

Too quiet.

It happened so quickly- Neither Wanyamon and Sarai had a chance.

From the skies lands a large digimon with red glowing eyes exuding darkness from it's very being. Sarai barely had a second to take it in before Wanyamon has jumped out from her arms and attacked. Wanyamon spits out a barrage of acid bubbles but it barely slows the wild digimon. She doesn't think when she spots the large black dragon looking digimon raise it's claws. She simply reacts and Wanyamon can do nothing.

Sarai's scream is loud in the field- but it's drowned by Wanyamon's roar of her name.

The gash on her arm starts to bleed and the exhaustion from running overwhelms her. The last thing Sarai sees is her dear friend's wild tear filled eyes. She does her best to smile pass the hurt but fails. She feels guilty for she did it again.

"So-orry W-wanyamon….." she gasps before succumbing to the darkness.

She doesn't hear how Wanyamon screams her name and the device in her pocket grows heated. She doesn't feel how the red eyed digimon charges and shakes the ground in it's wake. Wanyamon wails to the skies before a burst of light surrounds him. He knows what's happening, he can feel the change. At long last he's finally digivolving- evolving into something stronger to protect Sarai.

It's too little too late because Sarai is hurt.

Anger fuels the little digimon and he glares wild and feral at the oncoming digimon.

"Wanyamon digivolve's to… **GAOMON**!"

Gaomon doesn't waste time, he immediately charges into an attack. The anger had yet to die- the fear grows greater. He doesn't stop- can't stop. Gaomon attacks without break with one thought in mind.

Protect. Protect.  _Protect_.  **PROTECT**!

"Gaomon digivolves to…"

Just as the light engulfs him once more, he catches a glimpse of Sarai. She's still- not moving, he sees how her arm bleeds. It's nothing like the invisible attacks and a terrifying thought comes to mind. The light grows unbearably hot but Gaomon feels nothing but  ** _ANGER!_**

" **BLACKGAOGAMON!"**

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Devimon hears the roar of his scouter Devidramon. He turns towards the direction of the sound and grows apprehensive. He'd been keeping careful watch over the human children; following their travel discretely as possible.

Had he missed one?

His Devidramon's weren't weak, there's no need to worry.

Devimon turns his attention back to the fighting Leomon and Ogremon. He had more important things to ponder than a scouter Devidramon's state. The children were growing stronger the longer he left them to wander.

He had to strike  ** _now._**

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Tai hears a distant roar and turns on the ready. Behind him the others' do the same while the digimon form a protective circle round the human children. There's a tense moment where they expect another large digimon to attack them. Nothing comes, slowly they attempt to relax. Tai frowns grimly but snaps out of it when Sora nudges his side.

"Matt, what was that?" TK questioned.

Matt frowns and tightens his hold on his little brothers hand. He looks to Tai and the poofy haired boy shakes his head. Matt relaxes and looks over to where Izzy and Joe have protectively guarded Mimi who looked shaken.

"Nothing TK, let's just keep climbing."

TK doesn't look too convinced but he listens. If the Digimon happen to be surrounding them on all sides as they climb, it's just coincidence. Tai stands closer to the back with Agumon behind him. He feels uneasy like something ominous awaits them at the top. He suddenly feels the need to stop, so he does and spots Agumon looking back with a worried glint in his eyes.

"Agumon?"

The orange digimon doesn't hear and Tai lingers by his side.

"What's wrong? What do you sense?"

Tai carefully watches the digimon as subtly as he could. He'd brushed it off when Izzy had quietly approached him about his suspicions. All of them had noticed that the digimon they traveled with were hiding something. All of the children had caught the odd little habits in the small creatures. Izzy had even kept a chart of all the times all the digimon just happened to be gone- it was never for long and never far off.

Just coincidence.

Agumon seemed to snap out of it and when he turned to Tai it was with a eye squinting smile.

"Tai, I'm hungry!"

Lie.

Tai contemplated calling the digimon out but changed his mind. Instead he plastered his own eye squinting smile on his lips and laughed.

"Hah! Maybe if we're lucky there will be a picnic waiting for us at the top!" he joked.

"What's a picnic Tai?" Agumon asked.

Tai launched into a lengthy explanation and soon they'd joined the others. Maybe Izzy was right to suspect the digimon of hiding things from them. Maybe it was foolish of them to rely so heavily on these little creatures simply because they said they would protect them.

Maybe.

But they wouldn't get anywhere if they didn't take a few risks.

Tai didn't know why but he trusted Agumon with all his heart.

It was why he sought support from the orange dinosaur when they reached the top. It was why he wandered a little ways away from the others alone with just Agumon. The two stared down at the island and comforted each other in silence.

With Agumon, Tai didn't have to say much, the digimon just understood him.

And that was enough for Tai.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

With one last roar, Devidramon burst into data dust. BlackGaogamon coldly watched it's destruction without care. It took careful note of the black gears that burst as well, the strange things having appeared half way through the fight. None of that mattered to the large Digimon.

BlackGaogamon turned to the unconscious human and growled.

She didn't move, it was enough to cause the Digimon to tremble with barely repressed rage.

BlackGaogamon dug it's snout under the human and carefully as it could manage carried her by his snout. She whimpered and he mimicked the sound. He moved carefully and found a place to rest. He couldn't be sure how long he waited, he refused to move. He guarded over his human and licked at her bleeding wound.

Only when Night was soon to grow did Sarai stir.

She opened her eyes wearily and stared up at the great beastly digimon above her. She gasped in shock but knew in her heart that this digimon would not hurt her. She stared into his eyes and recognized her friend.

"W-Wanyamon?" she questioned.

A bright light swathed the large digimon and when it passed, a small dog like digimon was in it's place. It was blue in color and wore red boxing gloves and a red bandanna. Sarai blinked in confusion and winced when she went to move her arm and reach for the digimon.

"Sarai!" the digimon exclaimed.

She couldn't help but smile brightly at her name. It looked nothing like her little fluffball, it sounded nothing like him too. Despite that she knew this digimon was her Wanyamon. Only Wanyamon had ever cried her name so passionately.

"Wanyamon…. Haha…. You look different now," she tiredly spoke.

"I'm Gaomon now," he corrected.

Sarai slouched and cupped the slashes on her arms with a wince. She was relieved to find them not too deep but they would irritate her for awhile and take a while to heal. She reached for the spare strip of cloth she usually tied round her wrists. It was long enough to be worn like a bandanna, but she usually gained stares for it. She unties it from her wrist and wraps it round her her wound. She keeps her eyes low as she does this then softly she speaks.

"I'm sorry. I did it again. I-"

Gaomon cut her off by wrapping his arms round her.

Sarai holds the digimon close feeling guilty for making the poor thing upset again. Gaomon cries for a while and when he stops he still doesn't let her go. When he pulls back there's a darkness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Sarai feels terrible as she knows she's the cause of it.

"We can't protect each other if one of us is gone."

Gaomon doesn't shout, he doesn't scream or yell.

He talks calmly, solemnly even but it's worse than yelling.

He speaks softly to her because he knows why she'd done as she had. He knows now that Sarai is not okay, that all she'd confessed to him had done something to her. He doesn't know what, has no idea what other invisible wounds his human carries. Gaomon only knows that he can't physically fight this enemy and that he has to remind her that they are  _partners._

She feels thoroughly scolded and when Gaomon holds out the strange device she'd received before waking up in this world, she takes it without question.

"Sarai….. you're not alone anymore," he softly repeats.

Gaomon is better prepared now, he's stronger now. He will protect Sarai from the digital world, and even her own world if he has too. He'd learnt a lot as Wanyamon and he would not let those lessons go to waste. He has a feeling Sarai will forget that she no longer has to fight or protect alone- but he will remind her always.

She breaks and the act she'd been performing since she'd woken falls completely. Gaomon feels the change immediately and neither of them cry anymore. Instead they wipe their faces and give each other the widest grins they could possibly muster. They'd made this promise once before, but Sarai hadn't understood just what it meant.

They were a team.

Partners.

Best friends.

And friends are always there for each other.

Sarai was used to being alone, but she didn't have to be anymore.

And not-being alone meant she didn't have to do everything by herself.

She had Gaomon.

She clenched her hand round the device and determinedly looked up to the mountain, night was growing close and they still had a long way to go.

Soon, she would catch up to the others.

The partners continued their trek with a different sense of determination.

One that would serve them greatly in the years to come.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rather long (19,883 words), that's because each chapter length is decided by the amount of episodes I'm trying to get through. I have an episode count for each chapter and depending on the changes made, it will determine the length.
> 
> It's the first time we really get to see Gaomon and Sarai, interacting with other human's and their digimon partners.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: ANY AND ALL RECOGNIZABLE DIALOGUE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!
> 
> Enjoy x :)
> 
> [NOT EDITED! ALL MISTAKES ARE MINE]

**Chapter 5: A Reunion of Sorts**

-  _There was always something a little different about her, but they never knew what._

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The woods always seemed scarier at night. Despite the spooky horror movie atmosphere, Sarai focused on walking. The slash marks were itchy and each time she moved her arm the spike of pain caused her focus to waver. Slowly her steps started to falter and instead she began to drag her feet. It was no surprise that she eventually tripped on her own feet. She closed her eyes expecting to hit the ground only to find herself being supported.

Gaomon looked at her with frustration and concern. Sarai huffed and weakly gave him a smile.

"I told you I'm fine."

"Tch," the digimon scoffed but he did not let go.

Sarai frowned having noticed that since becoming Gaomon, her little friend was a lot….. grumpier. She leaned forward and placed a hand on his head checking his temperature.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking if you're okay. Are you getting sick?"

Two bright spots appeared on Gaomon's furry cheeks. He hated the small flush of happiness he felt at Sarai showing concern for him. She did the same when he was Wanyamon, but he was Gaomon now. He's stronger, she didn't have to be so concerned. It's him who should be asking if she's okay. The Devidramon almost- he forced himself not to remember as the anger still lingered.

Gaomon knew that he and Sarai shared a connection- that it allowed him to sense her moods. He didn't know if it was the same for her and really didn't want her to able to do the same. He knew Sarai, she would only blame herself.

"I'm fine," he huffed.

Sarai blinked at the familiar phrase and her frown deepened.

She'd forgotten how much she hated hearing those words said _to_  her.

She only had herself to blame, evidently she'd been teaching her friend some rather poor habits. As such, she only sighed in resignation and kissed him on his furry head. Gaomon turned an embarrassed red which served in making her laugh. At least that bit of her fluffy friend hadn't changed.

"It's growing too dark, maybe we should look for somewhere to camp," Gaomon suggested.

Sarai shook her head in disagreement.

"We'll cover more ground if we just keep going. I don't want to risk falling any further behind than we already are."

It was Gaomon's turn to frown.

"Sarai, I'm not a baby digimon anymore. I'm too big for you to carry and you're hurt!"

"Of course I can still carry you!? Don't be silly Gaomon. Instead of in a cradle wrap, I'll just give you a piggy back!"

Gaomon narrowed his eyes in a disapproving glare which only made her slump. If her digimon friend was giving her that look again, it only meant she'd have to compromise. She settled onto the ground and leaned against a nearby tree. They might as well rest as they try to figure out what to do. She took out a couple of berries from her makeshift bag and split it evenly between them.

Sarai mentally took stock of how much food and water they had left. There was probably enough food for another day and a half, the water would last them less than that. It was less than she liked, but she'd just have to make do. She was tempted to save some of her share for Gaomon but the watchful gaze he had on her warned her not to even try.

"It's worked out fine for us so far!" she started with a slight pout.

"I never liked it and you know it. I'm Gaomon now, which means I'm stronger. I can protect you better. It makes more sense for you to sleep at night and travel during the day," he countered.

Sarai frowned and slowly savored her berries. She suddenly missed Gaomon's smaller form, as it was easier to just pick the digimon up and run. She had a feeling he'd be able to resist her more now that he was bigger.

"I don't like it," she bluntly grumbled.

The droll look the digimon gave her was sassier than she expected. It only made her huff with both affection and mild amusement. The more time she spent with Gaomon the easier she noted the difference in him. She wasn't sure how to feel about his sudden stubborn streak against her- but she didn't hate it. It was kind of…..fun? cute? Adorably funny?

Gaomon finished his share of berries and started to draw in the dirt a game plan.

"I don't have to bounce anymore so you don't have to carry me. I'm a lot faster too, so we could cover more ground in the day and rest at night. I can take on more watches and patrol further so you can also rest longer. I can even carry the bag too! We might even be able to-"

Sarai blinked in shock as Gaomon started to practically make an entire plan on his own. It was strange to hear the digimon so focused. She nibbled on a few more of her berries and just watched Gaomon continue his planning. She swallowed the urge to giggle when she realized she'd done the same when she was trying to explain what she remembered from her survival guide.

The warmth that grew in her chest caused her to smile and Gaomon stopped at seeing it.

"What?"

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"Okay, we'll find somewhere to camp for the night. We can take turns carrying the bag and you can walk on your own."

Gaomon's shock was so obvious, she just had to give his furry head a caress. She ignored the stab of pain her arm gave at the movement and grinned at her digimon friend.

"We're a team remember?"

Gaomon's eyes started to sparkle, he leaned into her caress before giving a determined nod. It was easier than he expected to convince her. It only proved to him that she was actively trying to keep her promise. He knew it wouldn't last long before he'd have to remind her again that she's not alone.

Until then, he would enjoy it.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Joe didn't mean to remind them all of home. The swift mood change was hard to ignore and he too felt his throat itch with homesickness. He forced himself to apologize despite the croak of his throat.

"No, you're right. We all left thinking we were just going camping," Tai morosely mumbled.

He remembered saying good-bye to his mom. It was nothing special, no tears were shed or anything. Tai regrets leaving so casually. Why didn't he kiss his mom good-bye? Why didn't he tell her he loved her or make her promise to tell Kari he loved her and missed her too?

"Today's the fifth day we've come to file Island. The school and PTA must all be in an uproar," Matt added.

He looked over to where TK was quietly crying. They'd been gone for so long, were they even still looking for them? Matt thought about his mom and dad. Would his parents try to find them together or just fight? The thought only made his mood grow darker.

Mimi was crying too, she didn't bother to hide it like TK. She looked down at her lap through the blur of her tears and thought about her parents.

"Mama…..Papa….." she whimpered.

She looked up from her lap and stared at the empty bed. There were seven of them, but eight beds. All of them had avoided looking at it, pretending it didn't exist. Now, Mimi stared at it and added Sarai's name in her mind to her list of people she missed. Sarai slept to Mimi's left in the cabin they shared. She had been a quiet sleeper but on nights Mimi was too awake to sleep, the other girl would stay up with her.

Palmon shifted and slowly curled her hand around Mimi's under the cover. The digimon themselves were busy thinking of their own lost friend. Agumon's gaze never shifted from the window.

Sora watched Mimi and felt guilt fester in her throat. She didn't know Sarai- had never got to have a conversation with her. While Mimi wasn't bad company, Sora wonders what it would have been like to have another girl in the group. Sarai hadn't looked like she was as girly as Mimi and maybe Sora and she could have been friends? Now she would never know. Biyomon gave a sad chirp and burrowed closer to Sora's side.

"Let's get some sleep, the digimon are tired too…." She softly said.

After a scattered round of somber good-night's, the children and digimon all tried to sleep.

It still did little to ease any of the dark thoughts in their heads.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The moon was brightly beaming from it's place in the sky; bright enough to light their way. Sarai huffed as she took a breather, feeling the chill of night start to creep on her. She untied her jumper from her waist and zipped it up properly. Other than using it as a blanket or cradle, she barely wore it the way she was supposed to. Now that Gaomon could walk with ease she supposed she should use it properly.

"Wait!" Gaomon lowly hissed.

Sarai stopped immediately, she slipped her hand into her bag and gripped the cogs. The both of them crouched lowly behind a covering of bushes and scouted the area around them. Sarai squinted through the dark struggling to see. There was a dark shape of what looked to be ruins of a building. She was contemplating moving closer when the clouds parted and the moon shone directly above the area.

She gave a sharp gasp and crouched closer to Gaomon in shock and fear.

Three giant Digimon stood together within the ruins. The air around the three felt  **wrong** …..it felt  ** _evil._** Sarai felt the slash marks tingle and the ache of them forced her to form fists to ignore it. She couldn't look away from the three digimon. One looked ugly, much like a mashed up design of a green ogre and troll or goblin; her gaze lingered on the giant club in his hand and the sharp spikes protruding from it. Another looked like a Lion with a human body, but the white of his eyes unnerved her.

The most terrifying of the three was the black demon looking one. It's tattered wings and red eyes reminded her of the dragon that attacked them earlier. The horns on it's head made her think of those pictures of the devil in religious books.

As if feeling her fear, Gaomon grabbed her shoulder with his gloved hands. She didn't hesitate to grip it back and cover it with her own. The thudding of her heart was loud in her ears and she did her best not to fall into a panic attack.

"What a joy! We'll be rid of the digidestines at last. I'll smash them at anytime."

The ogre like digimon started to cackle and Sarai bit her tongue to stay quiet. Digidestined? Who were they talking about?

"I can not disobey your orders. Kill the children," the lion human droned.

Children?

THE OTHERS!

Sarai's heart froze as the reality of what she just heard sunk in. Just as quickly terror filled her and her heart thudded wildly in her chest. Gaomon's grip on her shoulder had tightened and if she had looked at the blue digimon's face, she would have seen the darkness in his glare.

She could feel her panic rising but tried to assure herself that she could save the others. So long as they were warned they had a chance. She just had to keep moving until she caught up. Just then she heard the shuffling of feet and the grumbling mumbles of someone familiar.

The pounding of her heart stopped completely and she felt bile form in her throat.

It was goggle boy- Tai, he had with him a orange looking dinosaur and seemed to be walking with a sleepy haze. The elation she should have felt at finding and catching up was drowned out by the rising horror.

The Others were here! They already found them!

She had no time to warn them!

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Agumon couldn't sleep, something didn't feel right. He gave another couple tosses before reluctantly waking Tai up.

"Tai, I have to go to the bathroom."

With a bit of grumbling and a few more nudges, Tai blearily got up out of bed. The two bickered as they made their way to the bathroom, but didn't really mean any of what was said. As Tai waited, he felt the prickling sensation of being watched. He tightened the bathrobe he wore and suspiciously looked about for peering eyes.

"Hey…. Agumon hurry up," he grumbled.

He didn't want to admit to feeling spooked out. There was just something strange in the air tonight and he really didn't like it.

Agumon grunted as he tried to finish up. There was definitely something strange about everything. He had eaten a lot tonight, he should have had a lot more to release. He always did after a big meal. After another passing of gas, Agumon's senses suddenly went haywire and from the stall beside him burst Ogremon.

"IT'S OGREMON! WAKE UP EVERYBODY!" Tai shouted as they both ran.

They barely made it far before the corridor was blocked by Leomon.

"The children… Kill…I must destroy them…..Kill the children"

Kill!?

Tai froze and was all too aware that he just might die tonight.

"You should have just slept quietly…Leomon is under my command."

The black winged digimon was smirking at him cruelly and Tai shivered under the evilness of it's gaze. Whatever that thing was it really hated him. Agumon gave him a quick rundown of who the digimon was but that only further confirmed his chances of maybe dying tonight.

Devimon raised his claw like hands and the mansion shattered and disappeared. The horror Tai felt grew worse, he heard the screams of the others and hoped they were better prepared to run. He looked to Agumon desperately hopeful that the orange digimon would be ready to digivolve. Agumon only groaned and Tai knew things were about to get worse.

"Tai…. I can't…."

No, it can't be…..

Devimon laughed and confirmed it all. The food, the baths, all of it was just an illusion he created. Tai realized that they were doomed. The digimon were unable to digivolve. They were all going to die! It couldn't end like this! Tai needed to know why! Why was he doing this to them?

Devimon sneered down at him while the other children screamed from their flying beds.

"Because you… are the chosen children."

Chosen children?

"You are all nuisances to me. I who plans to take over the world with my black gears!"

The ground began to shake and then the mountain split. Millions of black gears were exposed and Tai yelped as he tried to stay upright. The other children trapped on their flying beds could do nothing but watch and listen as the island broke apart and Devimon revealed he'd already taken over the island.

"The ocean?" Tai repeated.

Despite the situation, that one sentence caught his attention. There was more to this world than just that island. Hope began to blossom in his chest and he found a reason to keep fighting. They couldn't die here- not when they still had a chance to make it home. They had to fight- they had to survive. Tai wouldn't let any of them meet their end here.

They were going to make it  **home**.

"Kill….."

Tai whipped around having forgotten about Leomon. The lion human digimon stared at him with blank white eyes. Agumon stepped in front of him protectively; he forced himself to muster as much energy as he could to attack. The weak flame disappeared before it could even form and Agumon slumped with exhaustion and therefore couldn't defend against Leomon's attack.

"AGUMON!" Tai cried out.

Leomon focused on Tai and started to charge. Tai froze as the oncoming digimon raised it's arm looking to grab him in a choke hold. He heard Agumon cry his name, the sound filled with so much panic and fear. He braced himself for impact and squeezed his eyes tight.

" **SPIRAL BLOW!"**

The swirling gust of wind had dirt flying and Tai shivered at the force. He opened his eyes in shock much like everyone else. Devimon looked vivid with outrage while Leomon attempted to stand back up.

"What! Who-"

"GAOGAMON ON YOUR LEFT!" a voice screamed.

The blue and red digimon turned immediately, countering against Ogremon's attempted sneak attack. However in doing so, it left him open to an attack from a recovered Leomon. Tai blinked in shock as a quick figure ran and threw something metal at Leomon with a wild yell.

"Who is that!?" Tai absently spoke while Agumon was too focused on the large dog digimon.

It was Mimi who answered Tai's absent question.

"SARAI!"

The girl- Sarai, didn't answer. She was too busy facing off against Leomon back to back with the large dog digimon. Tai could barely move and his thoughts were wild with shock.

Sarai…. The girl they left behind.

She was alive!

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Gaomon didn't have a plan.

Neither did Sarai.

For the first time since they'd started their travel, both of them had no plan of action. Just a few feet away from them were three evil digimon and the other children. The both of them were lost to panic, fear and pure terror.

Gaomon wasn't sure which to prioritize first; the endangered children Sarai had been so desperate to catch up to; Or Sarai herself who was showing signs of falling into another invisible attack. The pressure of everything was making the blue digimon frantic with frustration.

Then the beds with the children started to fly and Devimon started to brag.

Sarai suddenly stopped breathing.

She simply stared up at the sky with eyes wide in horror. She saw TK crying out in fear, could hear Mimi's screams of terror, spotted Matt roaring TK's name with desperation. There clutching tightly to the bed post was Izzy and on another two beds looking deathly afraid was Sora and Joe.

And then she heard Leomon…

She saw the orange dinosaur- Agumon? Isn't that what Tai cried out?- step in front of Tai protectively. The image before her was so familiar that it warped and instead she saw little Wanyamon protectively shielding her.

That split second was enough to decide her next move.

Gaomon didn't need Sarai to tell him, he felt it immediately. The hot feeling in his chest grew too much; it burst and engulfed him in light once again. There was a difference to his digivolving this time, the energy filling him felt lighter.

Less….. dark.

He didn't think too much on it, well aware that he only had seconds to act. What followed after was simply instinct. He opened his mouth and released his attack, relieved that his aim had been true. When Sarai had called out her warning, he didn't hesitate to move.

Trust.

They'd never battled together like they were now.

It was Blackgaogamon who fought the Devidramon and won.

This time he was Gaogamon and Sarai was right beside him.

Partners.

A Team.

They were fulfilling their promise to each other.

The realization fueled him with more strength than he could have ever expected.

Gaogamon crouched, knowing without looking that Sarai had her second cog in hand. He heard the weird haired human stutter but ignored it in favor for the low whisper of his baby form's name.

"W-wanyamon?"

He spared the Agumon a quick glance, and gave a sharp fanged grin in greeting.

He found them.

His Hatch mates.

"Get back! You and your human are not safe in your current state," he growled.

"YOU DARE! OGREMON! LEOMON! KILL THEM!" Devimon roared.

Sarai backed up into his leg and gripped him tightly. Gaogamon cried out his next move and defended best he could. All the while, Sarai climbed until she was settled on his back.

" **DOUBLE CLAW!"**

"Gaogamon we have to get them away from the others!" Sarai yelled into his ears.

"WAIT!" Tai cried but Sarai and Gaogamon couldn't do that.

Not when Ogremon wasn't letting up with his attacks. Leomon took advantage of Gaogamon's distracted state and once again charged towards Tai. Sarai caught his movement from the corner of her eye and she simply reacted. Agumon yelped in pain when Leomon whacked him out of the way and Tai gasped under the pressure of Leomon's choke hold.

"Kill….."

"ARRRGH!"

Sarai cried out as she jumped from Gaogamon's back and readied her cog covered fist to punch. At the same time Tai's bed crashed not too far away and his digivice fell out. A bright light burst from the device and Sarai's digivice lit up in response from her waist. Sarai's fist connected with Leomon's cheek and he released Tai, while she tumbled in attempt to soften her landing from the high jump.

Tai greedily inhaled while Sarai scrambled to stand.

When Tai looked up again it was to find Sarai standing protectively before both him and Agumon. Leomon then let out a roar of pain and clutched at his eyes to shield it from the light.

Tai stood up and stepped forward to stand beside Sarai. He suddenly realized that she was shaking, trembling where she stood and a very pale shade.

"Hey! Are you okay!? Did he get you?" he hastily asked.

Sarai looked to him and the relief in her eyes shone briefly before she stumbled and clutched at her arm. Tai could only suspect she hurt it when she punched Leomon. With Agumon's support, she remained standing.

"The evil has vanished!" Leomon announced.

Both Sarai and Tai blinked in wary hope, taking note of his lack of white eyes.

"Devimon no longer has control over him!" Agumon confirmed with relief.

Tai picked up his digivice, wondering just what it did to cure Leomon. He looked at the lion human digimon and asked if he knew what happened.

"You are the chosen children….."

Any further questions were forgotten when Sarai jerked up out of Agumon's hold. In the background Gaogamon gave a wounded howl as Ogremon managed to slip pass his defenses.

"GAOGAMON!" she cried and attempted to run towards him.

Devimon took the chance to try and finish the other children himself. He raised his arms and watched as the beds began to fall from the sky. Leomon aimed his attack 'royal fist' towards the devil digimon causing him to lose focus. Instead the beds scattered and started to fly out towards the floating pieces of the island.

The lion hybrid turned to Sarai and Tai looking very serious.

"Leave this to me and run!" he ordered.

Gaogamon gave another cry before Ogremon's attack sent him flying in their direction. While in the air he digivolved back into Gaomon seemingly in too much pain. Sarai stepped forward intent on catching him herself but Leomon beat her to it. He cradled the blue digimon with care and passed him to Sarai.

She trembled as she took him into her arms, her eyes teary and unfocused.

Ogremon jumped to swipe at Leomon with his bone club but Leomon defended with his sword.

"It seems as if you and I are destined to battle," Ogremon cackled.

Leomon shielded Sarai, Tai and their digimon partners.

"You both need to go, leave this to me and run!"

"No!" Tai argued.

"We can't leave you!" Sarai agreed

"GO!" Leomon roared.

He pierced the ground and beneath them it cracked and split. Sarai gave a cry as she fell back into Tai and Agumon with Gaomon clutched tightly in her arms. They landed with a heavy thud on a floating piece of the island. The four of them looked up to where Leomon watched them with despair on their faces.

"You are the only hope for this world. Survive!"

The four of them watched as Leomon did his best to fight against Ogremon alone. Soon they were too far off to see but they heard Leomon's cry of pain loud and clear. They knew then that the lion human digimon was once again under Devimon's control.

Tai couldn't stop himself from crying out.

"LEOMOOOOOON!"

Sarai squeezed Gaomon tighter and silently sobbed into her furry friends chest. The two digimon could only share helpless looks with each other and attempt to comfort their human partners best they could.

Despite escaping with their lives…. All four of them felt like failures.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai couldn't stop crying no matter how she tried. The still hurting form of Gaomon was burned to the forefront of her mind. She thought she could hear sirens and screams- and the operator lady's voice calmly giving her instructions. It's not surprising that her silent sobbing shifted into a panic attack after everything that happened.

"-arai!..Sarai! breathe for me! Please!"

Gaomon.

What was Gaomon doing here?

She felt something squeeze her hands tightly while two other hands placed themselves on her shoulders. She forced herself to focus on the weight of them. The more she did, the more she remembered and realized that they'd found the others. She felt her heart start to slow and the sharp cold feeling in her chest lessened. The pace of her breathing evened out and her tears stopped falling.

She pulled away from Gaomon's warm chest and blinked up at the two others with them.

Tai.

The google boy.

She blinked and looked at the orange dinosaur beside him.

Agumon was it?

Did he get his own friend too?

"Hey! Sarai right? Are you okay, you didn't get hurt throwing that punch did you?" Tai awkwardly asked.

She opened her mouth to answer only to realize that she'd been crying. The embarrassment of how ridiculous she must have looked caused her to keep quiet and simply shake her head. She accidentally tightens her grip on Gaomon's gloved paws and stiffly stays silent. She's sure Tai must think her weird or a crybaby.

She's so stupid.

How could she forget that catching up with the others would mean interacting with them.

She had gotten better at talking and making conversation but that was just with Gaomon.

Digimon.

Human's were a totally different species and she'd never managed to make friends with them before.

"You're hurt!" Gaomon exclaimed with worry.

The familiar need to assure her digimon friend took over and she relaxed. She shook her head and rested her forehead against his furry head.

"I'm fine," she says, but the phrase only makes Gaomon frown.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"Phew! Ah haha that's great then. I'm Tai, I don't think we ever got to exchange names before everything that happened."

Agumon gave Tai a weird look. The poofy haired boy was acting strange, a lot stranger than he did with the others. Agumon wasn't sure what was wrong with his human partner. The dinosaur had figured out on his own that the human girl was the one that the group never talked about. They thought she hadn't made it to the digiworld. Agumon had hoped she had because if she did it might just lead Wanyamon home. He was super excited and happy to see he had been right. Wanyamon had become a Gaomon and Agumon had been shocked at how strong he was. It had been much too long since he'd seen the youngest of his hatch mates and he missed him fiercely.

However, right now was not a good time for a reunion.

Tai was panicking.

He had no idea what to say or even how to act.

What do you say to the girl you left behind?

The one you decided to forget and possibly leave to die alone in another world?

Joe and Mimi had insisted but it was Tai who made the call to keep walking.

How do you look the person you abandoned in the eyes without feeling guilty?

How do you explain that there had been a chance to retrieve them but you chose not to?

How do you-

"I know," she mumbles.

Tai blinks unsure what she's responding to. He panics thinking he'd accidentally spoken his thoughts out loud.

"What?"

He watches as she takes a deep breath and answers again.

"I know your name is Tai. I-I heard the other's call you that before…. Um before."

"Oh. Ah hah…. That's great then."

"Yeah."

"Eh heh"

"…."

Awkward silence starts to grow once more and Tai feels himself start to grow uncomfortable.

"Hi! I'm Agumon."

Tai lets out a breath of relief as Agumon crowds close to Sarai with a eye squinting smile. She looks startled but not afraid. It's because he's closely watching her that he notices how she seems to relax more with Agumon then towards him. The sinking sensation in his stomach is hard to ignore, but he can't help but think he deserves it.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you Agumon. I'm Sarai and this is my best friend Gaomon," she introduces.

"Best Friend? What does that mean?" Agumon confusedly asks.

"Oh! You don't know?" she hesitantly asks while looking at Tai warily.

"Agumon doesn't usually ask a lot of questions. Unless of course he's hungry. The little guy could eat an entire cow if you let him."

Tai laughs at his own joke and grimaces when Sarai only gives a hesitant chuckle. He'd almost forgotten about the digimon at her side until it speaks. It doesn't stop both Agumon and him from blinking in surprise at it's rather serious and deep tone.

"Best friends do everything together. They're very important and share each other's secrets."

Agumon blinks before looking at Tai with wide eyes.

"Are we best friends Tai?"

Tai's not sure how to answer at first. He barely knew what the digimon was or even why he kept insisting he needed to protect him. He thinks of everything they'd been through so far and all the times Agumon protected him. The truth is, Tai had never had a best friend before. He'd had a lot of friends, and never had trouble making new ones, but a best friend?

Agumon waits patiently for Tai's answer and when he has one, he answers with a eye squinting smile.

"Sure, we can be best friends."

Agumon cheers and starts to celebrate, though Tai suspects the digimon still doesn't know what he just asked. Then he hears a quiet little giggle and turns to see Sarai watching Agumon with a smile.

"He's a rather funny guy don't you think?" he attempts again.

This time when she looks at him, he ignores the guilty thoughts and focuses on how she acts. She doesn't look at him with anger or hatred. She fidgets a bit more before giving him a small but friendly smile.

"Well he's the first dinosaur I've every met."

Tai's not sure if it was meant to be a joke or not, but it has him genuinely laughing. From the way she relaxes, he thinks it was and can't help but hope maybe she's just similar to Izzy. The red headed boy had been kind of the same when Tai first met him. It took Tai's special brand of pestering to get Izzy to speak to him rather than simply glare. Perhaps Sarai just needed a bit of warming up until she felt comfortable to speak her mind.

The thought of warming up made him shiver and feel the slow change of temperature.

"Looks like it's getting colder. I think this thing were on is drifting towards that large island of ice!" he noted.

Sarai gave a muffled squeak and when Agumon and Tai turned to her she had a rather dark flush to her face.

"What's up? You're face is getting all red Sarai."

Agumon claps his clawed hands together with a cry of realization.

"Ah! That's right! Tai , you're still not wearing any clothes! You'll get sick too!"

"Wha!"

He gave a loud yelp of embarrassment and attempted to show some modesty and cover himself. He'd forgotten that he'd stripped down before bed. Both Tai and Sarai had their backs to each other and were a dark shade of red. He can't believe he forgot that the Bathrobe he'd been wearing had been part of Devimon's illusion.

Between the two human's, the digimon could only blink in confusion.

"Is there something wrong with him not wearing clothes, Sarai?" Gaomon asked with concern.

Sarai only shook her head in response too embarrassed to explain  _that_  sort of stuff to the digimon.

Tai really wished the ground could swallow him up whole. Anything would be better than this, heck even facing Kuwagamon or Shellmon! He heard the sound of a zipper and then heard Sarai quietly call his name.

"Here Tai."

"Huh?" he turned around only to find her offering her jumper.

"You should wear this until we find your clothes or something else for you to wear."

Any other time, Tai would have refused. She would only be allowing herself to freeze too, still what other choice did he have?

"I'm really sorry….. please don't be mad," he apologized.

Sarai shook her head and he quickly pulled on her jumper. They were about the same height, and it was a little big, which meant it covered just enough.

"If it's anyone's fault it's Devimon."

She only turned when he let her know it was safe. Tai glared back at the direction they'd come from and clenched his fists in anger.

"Yeah, well he'll get what's coming. If I ever see that ugly guy again I'm gonna-"

"Hopefully we don't see him again," she muttered lowly before pulling Gaomon back into a hug.

Tai winced as he watched how protectively she held onto her digimon. In response, Gaomon simply let her and kept watching their surroundings, as if on guard. Tai looked over to Agumon and a second later Agumon looked back in understanding.

There was something different about Sarai and Gaomon.

It was the way they acted… but both Agumon and Tai had no idea what it was.

They also didn't have long to wonder about it as soon the ice piece they were on crashed into a bigger one and sent all four of them flying into a heap of snow.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai yelped at the sudden landing before she started to shiver. She heard Tai cry out about the cold before he attempted to help Agumon. She and Gaomon stood side by side and watched the other two scramble to help each other.

"Are they playing a game?" Gaomon asked.

"I don't think so."

"A joke then?"

"No?"

She watched as the two happily crowed about finding Tai's clothes. Intentional or not, Sarai found herself smiling at the silly duo. She trudged best she could through the snow and gritted her teeth to ignore the sting of her arm. The slashes weren't reacting well to the cold weather and she knew she should probably check how it was doing.

"Okay Tai! Hold out your shirt!" Agumon happily urged.

Tai looked confused but obeyed.

Sarai understood a little too late just what the digimon was planning.

"Wait a second don't-"

" **Baby flame!"**

The fire ball Agumon released clashed with Tai's frozen shirt and the ice instantly melted. Sarai blinked in disbelief that the shirt hadn't caught aflame.

"Wow! Way to go Agumon, do you think you could do the same for my shorts?"

It may have worked the first time but Sarai wasn't sure if it would a second time. If anything were to burn, she really would rather it be Tai's shirt. At least he could still wear her jumper, if his shorts burn he'd be stuck in his underwear. Agumon opened his mouth and released another just as Sarai cried out for him to stop.

" **Wild Echo!"**

The shock wave attack cancelled out Agumon's. Tai and Agumon blinked in surprise and then turned to look at the unimpressed Gaomon.

"Sarai was trying to say something."

Tai sheepishly looked at Sarai, while Agumon stared at Gaomon a little longer before doing the same. Sarai huffed, gave a appreciative smile towards Gaomon then tried not to sound too awkward.

"Agumon shouldn't need to do a full powered attack to melt your clothes."

"He doesn't?" "I don't?"

Sarai sweat dropped at the identical looks of confusion the two wore. Gaomon just continued to look unimpressed despite the fact he too thought there wasn't anything wrong with using 'baby flame' again.

"Uh no. Maybe you should try just breathing on the shorts rather than launching a full on attack. The heat of your breath should be hot enough to defrost it," she slowly ended her explanation with a mumble while the two continued to blink at her.

"Let's give it a try then. Come on Agumon."

"Okay."

Agumon stood as close as he could and did as Sarai suggested. At first nothing seemed to happen, but then slowly the ice on the shorts started to sweat. Tai cheered with victory while Sarai slumped in relief. She would have been horribly embarrassed if her suggestion hadn't worked.

"Wow, You're really smart," Agumon praised.

"Of course! You see that bag, Sarai made it herself, we use it to carry food," Gaomon boasted.

Sarai, Tai and Agumon could only blink at the pride the blue dog digimon spoke with. Sarai huffed and gave a modest smile at Gaomon's words. She turned to Tai and Agumon and held her hands up in idle defense.

"Ah! Gaomon is the one who picked the leaves and stuff. If he didn't tell me which would be good to use, it wouldn't of worked out."

Gaomon stood a little taller and Agumon and Tai only blinked a little more. Then Agumon looked up at Tai with a slight frown.

"Eh? Tai, how come you didn't make a bag? The only ones who had bags were Joe, Mimi, TK and Izzy!"

Tai frowned and glared at the dino digimon. What was that supposed to mean!? Did Agumon just imply he was useless!? All because he didn't have a bag!

Sarai shared a look with Gaomon, both of them wondering if they said something wrong.

As Tai got dressed, Sarai decided to try and make sense of where they were. A few ways away she saw a line of red mail post boxes. She knew from past experiences not to hope they had anything useful in them. Again, she mentally scolded herself for almost getting her hopes up. This digital world made no sense and she'd already met enough digimon to confirm she and the others were the first humans to ever come to this world.

The only useful thing near them was snow and water. She sighed and rummaged through her makeshift bag, looking for the crafted water bottle. After a bit of mental math, Sarai realized that the food in her bag would only last the four of them one more eating break. Especially if Agumon gets as hungry as Tai implied.

She knelt onto the snow and ignored the shivering of her body. She finished the last of the water and then started to fill it with snow. They'd have to ration it between the four of them until they next came across some fruits or edible food to restock.

"Sarai? What are you doing?" Gaomon asked as he came up beside her.

She vaguely took note of Agumon joining them but didn't stop pushing snow into the log bottle.

"I'm making sure we have enough water."

"But that's not water, that's snow!?" Agumon confusedly pointed out.

"Mmhm, but when snow melts it turns into water. When it gets too cold, water will turn into ice and if you scrape ice you get snow. "

"Wow! So you mean I can eat  _and_ drink snow!"

In theory…. She thinks he could. Sarai wasn't sure if being a fire breathing dinosaur would make a difference to his digestive system. Agumon however let out a loud cheer before he dived back into the snow and started eating as much as he could.

"Agumon! What are you doing!?" Tai asked.

Sarai was relieved to see him fully dressed and no longer in just his underwear. She chuckled at the childish way Agumon continued to dive into the snow. After explaining to Tai what she'd said, Agumon then returned to his gobbling of snow.

"Well you don't have to be so wild about it," Tai sighed.

Tai was starting to wonder if Agumon was being like this on purpose. Unlike Agumon, Sarai's digimon had started to help her fill the weird log thing. He sighed and folded the borrowed jumper over his arm.

"But Tai I'm hungry!"

Sarai frowned at Agumon's cry and then quickly reached into her bag. She pulled out a fruit- the largest one of the bunch.

"Oh! Well I've got a bit of left over food with me. Here, why don't you munch on this."

Agumon looked up from his place in the snow with starry eyes. Quicker than she expected the dino digimon had scrambled to her side and was looking up at her excitedly.

"Really!"

"Agumon! Don't be rude!" Tai hastily scolded.

"It's fine Tai. Look, I've got enough for all of us to have something."

Tai hesitated but couldn't help the surprise that showed on his face. She really wasn't kidding there was enough fruit in her leaf bag for all four of them to eat. The blue digimon started to divide the food among them before Tai had even given his answer.

"This is the last of our food rations. We'll have to rely on water from here on out." Gaomon muttered decisively.

Tai and Agumon blinked at how the digimon sounded like an odd mix of Joe and Izzy. Sarai halved the fruit in her hand and gave one half to her digimon partner. The light scolding in her tone easy to hear.

"We'll manage Gaomon, it's no different from before. We just have to adjust for more people. Our first priority should be getting back to the others."

Sarai looked out to where all the other islands had spread out. Tai couldn't look away from the worried and fearful expression on her face. Soon enough he too looked out into the distance. Just how were they gonna get back to the others? They had no boat as well as no idea where they landed.

"For now, lets just eat. Right Tai?" Sarai prompted with an awkward smile.

"Oh, uh yeah."

The four of them munched quietly while every couple of seconds Agumon would make happy noises. Eventually Tai remembered that he still had Sarai's jumper. He opened his mouth to give it back only to notice the strange wrap around her arm. There was a growing dark spot and it took him a while to realize it was blood.

"Sarai! You're hurt!" he exclaimed.

She was quick to hide her arm from view and shake her head.

"It's nothing, I fell and got a bit scratched up."

"That doesn't look like a scratch," he argued.

Sarai shook her head and then gave an assuring smile.

"I'm fine, really."

Tai wanted to push. He wanted to keep asking until she eventually just let him take a look. Other than the bruises, none of them had suffered any wounds that bled. He's reminded once again that it was because they had each other to look out for. All the while Sarai had been left to fend for herself.

The guilt sits heavy in his stomach, and Tai hates it.

"Tai?" Agumon prompts with a frown.

He quickly lets out a sigh and tries to lighten the atmosphere. He ignores the weird looks the three give him and instead holds out her jumper for her to take.

"Well, this just means we definitely have to find the others. Even if you say it's fine, Joe's got a few medical things in his bag. He also comes from a family of doctors so until he checks it out you should be careful."

Tai makes sure he's smiling as he talks, doing his best not to seem pushy. He knows that quiet people, like Sarai seems to be, wouldn't like to make a big fuss. He considers it a success when she lets her shoulder's drop and nods in agreement. From the corner of his eye he notices the intense scrutiny the two digimon are giving them.

He'd gotten use to having Agumon and the other digimon around. However, this Gaomon digimon made him nervous. It probably had something to do with the guilt he felt and the fact every other digimon they'd met usually tried to kill them.

He's drawn from his thoughts when Sarai tugs at the jumper in his hold. She looks up at him with gratitude and it soothes the guilt in his stomach.

"Thanks," she mutters before pulling the jumper on.

As she zips up the jumper, Tai loses sight of the wrapped wound and instead is distracted by the rip in her pants. She's got more dirt and rips in her clothes than any of them. He makes up his mind then that from here on out he's going to make it up to her.

Sarai looks out at the water and worries at her lip.

"We're still drifting."

Tai turns to look too and reaches into his pocket to get out his mini telescope. He doesn't notice the look of interest and surprise Sarai gives the object. She can't help but think it's quite handy to have a telescope and should make patrols easier. After all if you manage to spy a disturbance a few miles away it gives you just a little more time to run.

"Mmh.. we're steadily getting further away from Infinity Mountain."

Again, Sarai looked at Tai with interest. She'd not known that the mountain actually had a name. A strange mix of relief and excitement started to build within her. Once they met up with the others, she was going to ask if anyone had thought of starting a map. Now that she had caught up, she allowed herself to feel a bit more fascination about the strange world they had ended up in.

"I wonder what happened to Leomon…..oh, and everyone else…." Tai broodily commented.

Sarai looked at the other islands and debated whether she should try and comfort the boy. It irritated her that she was so hesitant. If it had been Gaomon she would have been quick to give the small thing a pet and assuring smile. Except… Tai was a human and if she did pet him that would be weird.

She didn't want to be the weird girl again.

"We've all been separated….."

"Eh, Tai where do you think we're headed?" Agumon asked.

Sarai was still trying to muster up the courage to say something comforting. It shouldn't be this hard but-

"Sarai?" Gaomon called

She looked down at the blue digimon and saw the confusion in his eyes. She sighed and shook her head, disappointed in herself for being such a coward. Agumon and Tai were too busy talking to notice how Sarai slumped with disappointment and Gaomon comforted her.

Then the ground started to tremble and shake. Sarai snapped out of her gloomy haze and looked about with panic. Tai and Agumon started to lose their balance and from beneath the snow burst another giant digimon. This one was white and looked like a giant teddy bear made of snow.

Sarai felt her heart pound in shock and slow mounting fear.

"FRIGIMON!" it cried.

"It's Frigimon!" Agumon cried out before giving a short run down of what type of digimon it was.

Sarai was too busy staring at the huge snowball it was hefting over it's head.

"THEY'RE GOING TO ATTACK! RUN!" Gaomon shouted.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

They couldn't run, instead they jumped and slid pass the Snow digimon with panicked cries.

"Frigimon is supposed to be a peaceful digimon!" Agumon added as they ran.

The orange digimon didn't notice the disbelieving expression Gaomon and Sarai gave him. From their experience, Sarai and Gaomon had learnt it was best to never assume every digimon they met was 'peaceful'.

"No, look! It's a black gear!" Tai pointed out.

Exactly where he pointed, a black gear was embedded in the back of the snow digimon. Sarai had no idea what the black gear did but based off what she heard, it sounded like bad news. Gaomon on the other hand bristled at the sight of the evil object. The blue digimon remembered it's fight against the Devidramon and could feel an angry heat bubbling in his chest at the memory.

"He's being controlled!" Tai cried out as he dodged the attack.

Sarai yelped at the chill from the attack and gaped at the frozen post box. If Tai and Agumon hadn't moved in time they would have been a frozen Popsicle. Tai looked at Sarai, a determined gleam in his eyes as he spoke.

"We need to get that black gear out of him somehow!" he yelled.

Sarai clenched her fists and nodded in agreement. She reached into her bag and despaired at remembering she only had one cog with her. She lost the other when she threw it during the last fight.

Agumon stepped forward with a similar determination burning in his eyes as Tai.

"Leave it to me!"

Just as Agumon was preparing to attack a blue blur dashed forward with a punch.

**"GAO RUSH!"**

"Gaomon!?" Sarai said with worry.

At some point Tai had made it to her side, which left the digimon to face off against the Snow Digimon. Gaomon didn't seem to hear Sarai as he only readied himself to attack again. Agumon soon snapped out of his surprise and joined the blue digimon in attacking. Sarai never once looked away from Gaomon's fighting form.

She didn't feel right simply standing on the side lines.

" **Baby flame!"** Agumon cried out.

Frigimon let out an irritated roar and aimed a punch in Agumon's direction.

"Agumon! Digivolve!" Tai yelled.

Sarai looked to him with confusion but saw the device on his waist light up. A bright light took over Agumon and soon in his place was an even bigger dinosaur that looked like a t-rex. Sarai sucked in a sharp breath out of shock while Tai punched the air with excitement.

"GO GET HIM GREYMON!"

"H-he can change too?" Sarai marveled.

"Yeah! SHOW THAT DIGIMON WHAT WE'RE MADE OFF!"

The fight seemed to have evened out now that Greymon had digivolved, but Sarai's attention was back on Gaomon. Something was up with her friend and she couldn't tell what it was. Tai was so lost to cheering that he was slow to realize just what Sarai was doing.

"Hey! Wait- What are you doing!?" he called out.

Sarai charged forward, weaving out of the way of the two giant grappling digimon. She kept her gaze solely on Gaomon and the constant almost angry way he was fighting. She didn't know how Gaomon could digivolve- last time it had just happened. All she knew was that her digimon friend was too distracted and it had something to do with that black gear.

"SARAI!" Tai called out in panic.

Greymon turned to look for her but suffered a punch for the distraction. The cry of Sarai's name snapped Gaomon out of his haze and he looked for her. Sarai had clung onto to Frigimon's leg and was attempting to climb it. Greymon released another attack and she tightly held on while shouting with shock as it sent Frigimon flying onto his back.

"SARAI!" Gaomon cried out.

The dark angry emotion disappeared and was instead replaced with the desperate need to protect. It filled Gaomon completely and in his place stood Gaogamon. Tai blinked at the sudden digivolve and watched as Gaogamon rejoined the fight. This time the blue digimon didn't seem to be fighting wildly as he had before. Greymon let out a cry as Frigimon froze his left side, seconds after Gaogamon had charged at the Snow digimon.

" **GAOGA HOUND"**

Tai watched as Gaogamon bit and worried at Frigimon's arm until the snow digimon eventually fell to it's knees. It was then he spotted the small climbing form of Sarai. It was so eerily similar to Joe and the Unimon. Tai could remember how that ended. Just as Sarai attempted to pull the black gear out, Tai ran.

Frigimon roared out in pain as Sarai attempted to jostle the gear out. It was only desperation that kept her clinging on. If Greymon and Gaogamon hadn't immediately held the snow digimon in place, Sarai would have gone flying off it's back.

"Come on, Come on- ah COME ON!" Sarai cried out as she gave one last heave.

With a sickening squelch the Black Gear came loose and Sarai yelped in shock as she began to fall backwards. The swooping feeling of falling was new, and her breath caught from the pull of gravity. She squeezed her eyes tightly close and braced herself for impact.

Instead of the cold snow, she heard a loud groan and arms around her sides. She opened her eyes to find Tai grimacing under her. He gave her a quick scan and she gave a quick shake of her head to show she was fine. She showed him the gear with a grin and he let out a laugh before grabbing it.

"GREYMON, GAOGAMON DESTROY IT!" he yelled before throwing the gear up into the air.

The dog and dino digimon both looked at the gear and fired their attacks.

**"MEGA FLAME!"**

**"SPIRAL BLOW!"**

Sarai and Tai watched with awe as the two attacks merged before reaching the gear. In a burst of black dust the gear shattered and disappeared. There was a beat of silence before Gaogamon and Greymon digivolved back into Gaomon and Agumon.

"WE DID IT!" Tai cheered.

Sarai hadn't lingered instead she rushed to check the two digimon over. Gaomon readily accepted the quiet check up while Agumon only blinked in surprise. Once she realized neither digimon had any injuries and seemed fine, Sarai slumped with relief before hugging the both of them.

"Thank goodness you're okay."

Tai came up from behind her and eagerly patted the two digimon on the head.

"You two sure showed him! We kicked that black gears BUTT!" he praised.

"Are you okay? Are either of you hurt?" Gaomon questioned looking over both humans.

Tai raised his brows in surprise but shook his head, while Sarai smiled and did the same. Only then did the blue digimon relax. Sarai pulled him into a tight hug and kissed his head affectionately. She spoke lowly so Tai and Agumon didn't hear only Gaomon.

"Not alone remember."

Gaomon huffed and nodded.

"A team."

Sarai carefully pulled away and when she was sure no one was looking at her, she reached for the slash wounds that still stung. She gathered a handful of snow and pressed it against her arm, hoping the cold substance would numb it for the time being. She didn't want to think about the spike of pain it gave when the gear was destroyed.

She was sure it was nothing.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"Huh? Why was I acting all violent?" Frigimon dazedly questioned.

Agumon was quick to explain with Tai nodding at his side. Gaomon and Sarai decided to linger in the background instead. It had nothing to do with Frigimon, more of the fact neither of them felt like talking.

Since meeting up with the others, they'd already ended up in two big fights. Gaomon didn't like it, while Sarai only felt more concerned. She couldn't help but wonder if this was normal. From the way Tai and Agumon were acting she could only assume it was. How many times have the others almost died? The thought terrified her and it only made her want to find the others as soon as possible.

Gaomon could feel Sarai's mood start to darken and he frowned. Quietly, he stepped closer and tugged at the bag. She looked at him with surprise but he just tugged at the bag pointedly. With a sigh she handed the bag over to him. She had promised and truth be told the ache of her shoulder was getting harder to ignore.

"Ah! I saw a kid and a Gabumon land over there on that island."

Sarai and Gaomon both looked up at that and moved closer to hear. Tai looked at her and she nodded her head.

"If one of the others landed over there we should hurry."

"It has to be Matt!"

"But how are we going to get there? I can't swim." Agumon wondered

"We wouldn't make it far anyway. We'd freeze if we tried." Gaomon added.

Again, Agumon looked at Gaomon with a wondering eye. He couldn't understand how Gaomon could sound so….. human. If Agumon hadn't watched him speak, he would have thought it was Izzy, Joe or even Matt speaking. It was unsettling but curious, he worried just how different his hatch mate had become.

"As my thanks, I'll help you cross over there," Frigimon concluded.

As Frigimon explained just how he would help, Sarai started to frown. Just as Tai and Agumon had finished praising the digimon for it's road of ice, she hesitantly spoke up.

"Wait! That's too much!"

"Huh? What do you mean Sarai? I think it's a pretty good idea, we'll meet up with Matt in no time!" Tai answered with confusion.

"Yes, but Frigimon will have to keep it up across the ocean. The islands are still moving which means he won't have a lot of time to rest and we'd have to walk quickly. It might exhaust him out!"

Tai and Agumon blinked at what she said. They hadn't realized just how big an offer Frigimon was making. Frigimon himself blinked in surprise before his eyes squinted with flattery. He never thought humans would be so thoughtful and concerned.

"Actually…. Is it really okay? The ice won't break while we're over the ocean right?" Agumon asked.

The two looked to Frigimon looking a lot more concerned. Frigimon laughed and assured them it wouldn't by jumping on the section of ice he made. Sarai yelped and Gaomon steadied her before looking up at Frigimon with a glare. The Snow digimon tensed at the glare and quickly apologized.

Frigimon wondered if all Gaomon were naturally that grumpy.

"Really, it's the least I can do to pay my thanks."

Sarai didn't feel comfortable accepting the offer. Especially as they just finished battling it out with the snow digimon. He had to be tired, she knew Agumon and Gaomon usually were. She looked at Tai and he too looked uneasy about accepting it.

"What other option do we have?" Gaomon added.

She looked down at her digimon and caved. He was right, they had no other choice. Despite nodding at Tai and assuring him to agree, Sarai privately compromised in her head. The second she could sneak away, she'd go hunt down some food and give some to Frigimon. It was the least they could do.

Agumon let out a cheer and the five of them began to walk across the frozen road.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"TK! TK! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"Matt!"

"TK! ANSWER ME! I'M COMING FOR YOU TK!"

Gabumon tried to get Matt's attention but the human boy just kept yelling. Suddenly Matt collapsed into a coughing fit and Gabumon couldn't stand it anymore.

"Matt! Look there's a cave over there. Please. Let's go take a break!"

Matt weakly attempted to shrug off Gabumon's hold on him, but the digimon held tight.

"TK!" Matt cried out before charging toward the cave.

Gabumon was simply relieved Matt was out of the snow storm. He set up a fire and did his best to sway Matt into staying put. He might not know much about human's but he'd listened to them long enough to know they still got sick if they were in the cold.

He left the cave trusting and hoping Matt would stay put while he searched. He cried out TK's name but still had no luck. The longer his efforts bore nothing, the more uneasy he felt. Matt and TK we're brothers, something he learned was equivalent to hatch mates. The turn of his thoughts had Gabumon thinking about Wanyamon.

He hated that he was feeling the same as he did the day Wanyamon left.

They all knew it would happen, well except Agumon; but having it actually happen was different than they expected. Wanyamon hadn't left for just a day, he never came back.

They were young they hadn't understood then.

They didn't know Wanyamon leaving meant he might never come back.

Gabumon didn't want Matt to feel like he did when he thought of Wanyamon.

So he pushed himself to keep looking, for Matt's sake.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Tai groaned as he looked ahead.

"Just how much farther do we have to go!?"

Frigimon reminded him that the Islands were also moving. Agumon and he decided to take a break and took a seat. Sarai slowly lowered herself as well, and they all tried to catch their breaths. Gaomon frowned at the exhaustion and reached into the makeshift bag. They had no food but perhaps some water would help.

"Here! Have some of this," he instructed while holding out the log of water.

Sarai shook her head and motioned towards Tai and Agumon instead.

"Let them have some first."

"Huh!? Oh right! The snow!" Tai cheered.

He gratefully accepted the log and sighed with pleasure at the cold watery substance. It had melted a bit and was now just flaky water. He made sure to remember there were others and warned Agumon to do the same. Carefully, Agumon took his share and sighed with relief before giving it back to Gaomon.

After drinking a bit, Gaomon pointedly handed it over to Sarai who only sighed with exasperation. She really should have expected Gaomon's stubbornness to turn on her. The water felt great and since she didn't have to carry the bag, her shoulder had stopped hurting. She looked up at Frigimon who was patiently waiting for them to finish resting.

"Would you like a drink as well?"she offered.

Frigimon opened his mouth to reply, but after seeing Gaomon huff, he chose to simply shake his head in decline. Only Agumon caught the blue digimon's irritation but decided to keep quiet.

"This is still taking awhile, man if only one of you could fly," Tai absently sighed.

Sarai frowned at him. He probably didn't mean to but his comment was still rather rude. By the way Gaomon huffed at him, she knew her friend didn't appreciate it. She looked at Agumon and saw how even the dino digimon looked offended. Something told her that if she didn't do something an argument would start.

She jumped to her feet and quickly bowed in apology to everyone. Just in time too as Agumon had just been about to say something.

"I'm sorry, I've been walking too slow. I'll make sure to walk faster."

No one said anything as she had been behind them all. Gaomon glowered at Tai and Agumon with accusation while the others just looked surprised. Frigimon thought they all were walking quite slow but had assumed it was just a human thing. Tai had deliberately taken his time, still aware that Sarai was wounded. Agumon hadn't even noticed.

Gaomon stepped forward both to berate Sarai and the others. Sarai did this a lot he had learned. She often would take the blame and apologize for whatever was wrong. If he didn't speak up he knew she would truly start to feel sad and so he had to step in.

"I'm sure that's not it, we're all just a little tired after everything."

A quick glare at the others had them all agreeing and Sarai just raised her head hesitantly.

Frigimon quickly spoke up before they could say anymore, offering a solution.

"Let's not fight!" having said that he picked the two humans up and placed them on either shoulder.

Sarai gave a startled squeak while Tai let out a surprised huff. Agumon and Gaomon briefly tensed before clicking on to what Frigimon was doing.

"This would definitely be faster, yes?"

"Uh, haha yeah b-but…" "Really Frigimon I can.." Tai and Sarai stammered.

Frigimon shook his head and kept them in place.

"Just hold on tight and we'll be there in no time."

Tai forced himself to relax and decided that the snow digimon had a point. Sarai knew Frigimon was right but she really didn't feel comfortable with it. She looked over to Gaomon and her furry friend gave her an assuring smile. She bit her lip before eventually compromising again. She mentally made a reminder to make it a gift basket instead of just a couple of fruits. She adjusted the way she sat and shivered at the icy chill of Frigimon's body.

"Y-your b-body is seriously icy!" Tai stuttered lowly.

Sarai agreed but knew Frigimon was just being considerate. She held onto the digimon and subtly pressed her arm against it's cold body. The tingling of her slash marks turned numb again and she sighed with relief.

"You two should rest." Gaomon instructed.

"Mmhm, we'll wake you up when we get there!" Agumon agreed.

Tai and Sarai shared a look but eventually decided it couldn't hurt. They both hadn't been able to sleep the night before and all the excitement of everything was starting to wear off. It's no surprise that the two nodded off a little while later.

Frigimon, Gaomon and Agumon continued to walk their way across the icy road while the humans slept.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Gabumon was officially freaking out. Matt wasn't moving and he was so cold. Gabumon had told him- he- he  **told** Matt to wait in the cave. Why!? Why did Matt run into the cold!? How long had he been lying there? What if Matt-

Gabumon wildly shook his head and did his best not to cry.

He didn't have many options, there was no way he'd be leaving Matt alone again. He couldn't leave the human boy alone for a second. He'd stoked the fire as much as he could;despite being pretty big Matt's body was still cold.

"Why didn't you listen!?" Gabumon stressed.

What could he do? What could he do? What could he- Wait!

Gabumon clutched at his fur and felt his mind fill with insecure taunts. He had never taken off his fur, he hated the naked feeling. He hated how exposed and bare he felt. He looked about the cave and remembered that there was no one there. It was just him and Matt.

Matt needed him.

Matt was worth it.

He took off his fur coat and draped it over the freezing human.

He couldn't lose Matt. He wouldn't lose Matt to a silly cold- to anything.

He refused.

Gabumon trembled and shivered against the freezing wind. He hid behind a large rock and hoped with everything in his heart that Matt would wake up fine. So long as Matt was okay he didn't care.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai and Tai were deeply asleep. Their soft snores a comforting sound to hear as the digimon continued to walk. Behind Frigimon, Agumon and Gaomon kept a careful eye about. The two rookie digimon took the time to convince themselves it was real.

They really had found each other again.

As the silence between them continued to stretch, Gaomon finally broke it with an awkward sigh.

"Why are you staring?" he grumbled.

Agumon blinked in surprise before breaking out into an eye squinting smile.

"Oh nothing, I'm just happy to see you."

Gaomon huffed and tried to hide the two bright spots that appeared on his cheeks. Agumon still saw it and the digimon let out a muffled snicker.

"Argh! Stop laughing at me!" Gaomon snapped with embarrassment.

"Sorry, I'm sorry haha."

Agumon's laughter died down and a more serious expression settled on his face.

"You were gone a long time."

Gaomon fidgeted and looked out towards the ocean, refusing to meet Agumon's eyes.

"I had to go," is the only defense he had.

Agumon frowns, not at all happy with the response.

"You didn't say good-bye."

Gaomon fidgets and feels guilt start to form at the accusation. He'd always wondered about his hatch mates, always thought about them and missed them fiercely. Before he found Sarai, his determination to one day reunite with the others had been what kept him going. It had been his reason to be patient and not give up waiting. It was so lonely and incredibly terrifying; some nights had him crying and wanting to go back. He looks at Sarai's sleeping back and can't help but feel as if it had all been worth it.

Before they found each other, both Sarai and he had been so alone.

It was part of why they understood each other so well now.

"I had to leave, I was never supposed to wait in the field."

Agumon growled and the sound had Gaomon looking to him warily. He wasn't upset that Gaomon had left, he was upset that Gaomon didn't say goodbye. Gaomon didn't say good-bye to  **him;**  no one  **told him**  anything and kept it secret. Agumon had to wake up to find Gaomon missing and every one else all avoiding him out of guilt. He remembered being so furious at Gomamon and Palmon he almost sent a bubble attack their way.

If Gabumon and Motimon hadn't calmed him down, Agumon is sure he probably would have.

Agumon had learned to get over the hurt and rage, all that remained was the question of why.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

Gaomon made a confused face at the question and Agumon felt the hurt from the past return.

"Why didn't you just tell me you needed to go? Why didn't you say good-bye? Why did you all keep it a secret from  **me?** "

Gaomon tensed but answered.

"You wouldn't have let me. You would have tried to stop me. It never felt right for me to wait in the field. It called me elsewhere and so I went out to find it."

Agumon growled and Gaomon responded with his own. The pleasant company between them turning sour with tension.

"You didn't have to go by yourself!" Agumon snapped.

Gaomon glared and lowly snarled his response.

"And that's exactly why I did it. We never knew what we were waiting for, only that we had to. I didn't know why I had to leave only that I had to. I didn't want to go alone but I had to. I could have told you but I didn't because you would have made me stay or come with me."

Gaomon was almost shaking; a dark shadow was starting to gleam from the depths of his eyes. Unnoticed by the two rookie digimon, the two human children started to frown in there sleep. Agumon was glaring at Gaomon feeling his hurt turn to anger.

"If I stayed I never would have met Sarai and if you came with me you never would have met Tai."

Gaomon's words cut through the tension and both digimon reluctantly acknowledge the truth of it. They glared at each other a while longer, both still riled by the conversation. In the distance the sun had started to rise and the sky began to lighten.

Frigimon sweat dropped as he continued to quietly walk. He'd never known rookie digimon to be so intimidating. Did they forget he was there too?

Is this what happened to digimon who hung out with humans?

The silence was growing too uncomfortable for the snow digimon. He looked forward and was relieved to find they were super close to land. He let out a loud groan of relief and felt the humans stir.

"Whew! We're here!" he quickly announced.

Tai woke up first and after a bit squinting and eye rubbing he perked up.

"Sarai! Hey Sarai! Wake up we made it!"

Sarai only groaned and pressed closer to Frigimon. Tai was about to pester her some more but thought better of it. She really looked tired and he couldn't forget that she'd been injured. He hopped down from Frigimon's shoulder. Agumon slowly came to his side and Gaomon folded his arms by Frigimon's leg.

Tai blinked feeling as if something weird was going on between the two but decided to shrug it off.

"Um Frigimon thank you for bringing us this far. If you don't mind, would it be okay if Sarai slept a little longer on you? You see she got a bit scratched up a while back and I-"

Tai hesitated to tell the digimon that he was the reason because he abandoned her. Frigimon however saved him the trouble by readily agreeing. Tai gave the snow digimon a grin before looking at Gaomon and Agumon.

"Alright, you two, it's up to the three of us to go looking for Matt."

"I can help too you know?" Frigimon offered but Tai shook his head.

"If you shout you might wake up Sarai."

Frigimon agreed as he realized the human boy had a point. When Agumon spoke with a eye squinting smile and cheerfully agreed with him, Frigimon could only blink. Gaomon then let out a scoff and sternly instructed Frigimon to take care of Sarai before stalking off. Frigimon thought it sounded more like a threat.

Left with just the sleeping human, Frigimon once again sweat dropped.

What a weird bunch of Rookie digimon.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Matt felt warm.

Too warm.

It didn't make sense as the last thing he remembered was freezing. He struggled to open his eyes but eventually managed. He sat up quickly as he took in the burnt ashes and the cave. He looked about for Gabumon, he was sure he'd just saw the digimon a second ago. From behind a rock, Gabumon peered at Matt with a smile.

"Are you okay?" Gabumon asked.

Not long after he'd spoken, the digimon let out a loud sneeze. Matt blinked in surprise but slowly his mind started to make sense of things. A warm feeling of affection and fondness started to blossom in his chest towards the fur coated digimon.

"Gabumon! You ended up getting my cold! I'm sorry, but I'm feeling completely better now," Matt earnestly spoke with a smile before bowing his head in thanks.

Gabumon found himself growing pink beneath his furs with embarrassment. He'd come to learn that Matt wasn't the most affectionate. So far, only TK has ever gotten Matt's kind words and smiles. It's not that Matt was mean, just that he was distant with everyone but TK. It meant a lot to Gabumon that Matt was now treating him with something more than politeness.

The two then heard the crying shout of Matt's name.

"Ah! That's Tai's voice!" Gabumon exclaimed before releasing another loud sneeze.

Matt and Gabumon didn't waste any time in leaving the cave to answer the call. The last they'd seen of Tai and Agumon, Tai had been in a choke hold and Agumon and him were floating away. Gabumon peeked at Matt and wondered if the human boy was also thinking about the other two who'd been with Tai and Agumon.

The other human child and the Gaomon.

Gabumon hadn't allowed himself to think on it after everything. Now that Matt was better and they were going to meet up with the others. Gabumon couldn't bring himself to ignore it. It was Matt who had the idea to leave the other human behind. Tai was just the one who decided to accept it. Gabumon worried about what Matt might be thinking. He worried Matt would be blaming himself.

Another thought bothered the fur wearing digimon. He stubbornly pushed the thought away, unwilling to get his hopes high in case he was mistaken. The Gaomon….. could it be….. perhaps…. No. Gabumon would talk to Agumon before he decided anything.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Gaomon didn't wander too far from Sarai, which meant he stayed closer to Frigimon as well. He could tell the bigger digimon had something on his mind. It only took a glare for the bigger digimon to understand that Gaomon had no intentions on talking.

It was embarrassing to know the snow digimon had probably heard everything Agumon and he had talked about. Gaomon was just grateful the humans slept through it all. Sarai would have worried and try to defend him or worse; apologize and blame herself. Gaomon didn't know much about Agumon's human, but the small bits he has seen told him enough. Tai was very different to Sarai, it made the dog digimon nervous.

Just how different were the other humans going to be? How will they treat Sarai? How would the other's react to realizing he's returned? Will they even know its him? Or would they be mad like Agumon about how long he'd been gone?

These were the thoughts in his head as he watched Tai and Agumon cry out the name of one of the other humans. He heard Sarai give a whimper and immediately looked to where she was on Frigimon's shoulder. She soon started to squirm and whimper a little louder.

"Huh? Is she okay?" Frigimon questioned confused.

Gaomon wasn't going to explain Sarai to him. Instead of answering, he ignored it and motioned for the snow digimon to lower itself. Sarai gave another whimper but this time a strangled 'no' passed her lips.

"MATT!" "TAI!"

Gaomon looked ahead and spotted another human and a Gabumon running towards Tai and Agumon.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Tai expressed with relief.

Frigimon met Gaomon's gaze but the dog digimon glared and shook his head. Despite the disagreement in the snow digimon's eyes, he listened and said nothing. At this point Sarai was shaking and her grip on Frigimon was extremely tight. Gaomon moved close and gripped Sarai's arm with his own gloved one.

"Sarai…. Wake up….. wake up…. Sarai…." He softly urged.

Frigimon watched intently as Gaomon soothed and comforted the human in his hold. Sarai didn't stop moving, in fact she seemed to tremble and shake even more. To Frigimon, Gaomon's attempts were by no means helping. After another whining whimper and strangled cry of no, Gaomon pushed closer to Sarai and nuzzled at her neck.

"Shh! Sarai…. Wake up… wake up…. please wake up….." he continued to comfort.

Gradually, Sarai's grip on Frigimon started to loosen; her eyes started to flutter open and her shaking stopped. It took her a few moments to adjust but when she did, she looked directly at Gaomon.

"Gaomon?" she croaked.

The dog digimon softened with relief and gave a small smile in reply.

"Hi," he greeted.

Frigimon marveled at the connection the two shared. He could feel the strength of the small Gaomon and was fascinated. These human children… could they be?

"How'd you find us here?" Matt asked once the joy and relief of reuniting started to fade.

"Well….." Tai started before looking over to where Frigimon was.

Sarai looked past Gaomon and saw Matt with Tai. She didn't hesitate to rise out of Frigimon's hold, which surprised the snow digimon. Gaomon huffed and rolled his eyes before settling into a rather grumpy stance. Frigimon could only blink at the swift change of attitude before turning his attention back to the others.

Matt's eyes widened with shock at seeing Sarai warily make her way over.

"You're okay!" Sarai happily sighed with a smile.

Matt said nothing and simply stared at her blankly. Tai grinned widely- so wide it almost looked like it hurt- before he elaborated a bit more.

"Frigimon saw the two of you fall around here!"

Gabumon looked from Sarai to the Gaomon slowly making his way to her side. The blue dog digimon was glaring at the ground and seemed to be looking everywhere but to where Gabumon was standing. Gabumon felt himself giving in to his rising hopes regardless of his earlier thoughts. He looked to Agumon and the orange dinosaur quietly huffed before giving a very tiny nod.

It was all Gabumon needed and without care, he stepped forward and smiled at Sarai with warm greeting.

"Hi! I'm Gabumon, It's very nice to meet you."

Sarai had been on the verge of being uncomfortable with how Matt stared at her. She still found the blond boy to be quite intimidating. So when Gabumon introduced himself, she eagerly accepted the welcome and did her best to ignore the awkwardness she felt with the two boys.

Instead of bending or bowing, Sarai got on her knees in the snow and offered her hand.

"Hello, my name is Sarai. The digimon behind me is Gaomon and it's a pleasure to meet you too."

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The cold snow helped wake her up and Sarai couldn't help but admire the new digimon. If it weren't for the horn on it's head, she would have thought him to be another strange looking dog. She thought it kind of funny that he wore his fur more like a coat and had blue stripes. He smiled at her very kindly and she was oddly reminded of Gaomon when he'd been Wanyamon.

She suddenly thought Gabumon looked like a strange combination of Agumon and Gaomon. The thought made her giggle.

"What's so funny?" Gabumon curiously asked, suddenly feeling a little insecure.

Is Sarai laughing at him?

If she heard it in his voice or saw it on his face, it's not clear; but Sarai was quick to assure the digimon.

"It's a bit strange, but I never dreamed this would happen if I went to summer camp," she explained.

Gabumon relaxed before asking another question.

"Well what were you expecting?"

Before Sarai could answer the question, Matt stepped forward.

"Enough of that! Did you see anybody else?" he practically demanded of Frigimon.

Sarai and the Digimon moved out Matt's way. It dawned on Sarai as she looked about that it was only Matt and Gabumon here. It didn't take long for her to connect the dots and realize why Matt sounded so stressed.

TK.

Matt was worried about TK.

She found herself growing worried about the others as well. She kept quiet as Frigimon explained about the others probably being on other islands. She wasn't the only one who saw how Matt grew depressed with the news. She was glad to know that Matt had someone like Gabumon to watch out for him like Gaomon did for her. Tai was in the process of trying to cheer Matt up when Gabumon let out a rather loud sneeze.

"What's wrong?" Agumon asked

"I think I've got a cold," Gabumon explained rather nasally.

It was then Gabumon noticed that Gaomon was finally looking at him. He caught the dog digimon's gaze and smiled widely, feeling his joy only grow at spotting the embarrassed flush on the dog's furry cheeks.

Sarai frowned and reached out to place a hand on Gabumon's head, checking his temperature.

"That's not good. You shouldn't be out in the snow if that's the case," she muttered.

Unnoticed by the other's Frigimon slipped away after muttering about colds. Gaomon moved to stand by Sarai's side with a frown on his face.

"How did you manage to catch a cold!?" Agumon questioned with confusion.

Gaomon noticed how Matt grew tense at the question while no one else did. Sarai was already reaching for the zipper of her jumper. All she could think about was getting Gabumon warm to stave of the cold in case it got worse. They didn't have any medicine and she wasn't even sure if digimon could take human medicine.

"So even digimon can catch colds," Tai idly commented.

Sarai's pretty sure he didn't mean anything by it, just casually pointing out the obvious. Within the short time she'd spent with Tai and Agumon, she's come to realize it's something they do. They didn't mean anything mean by it, which is why she startled badly when Matt stepped in.

"Stop making fun of him! Gabumon was just…"

Tai reacted quickly to that, and she winced at the loud volume of both boys.

"What, I was just kidding! Why are you getting all worked up?"

She knew in her gut that if nothing was done the two would start to fight. It was the last thing Sarai wanted. She attempted to get her mouth to speak, to say something-anything just to disrupt the building tension. No, matter how she tried, the words just didn't want to come. Gabumon gave another loud sneeze, and Sarai chose to ignore the boys and instead focus on the digimon. At the back of her mind a voice began to whisper and taunt calling her pathetic. It sounded too much like her mother for her to linger on it any further.

"Hey, why don't you rest in the cave?" Agumon suggested.

Sarai nodded her head in agreement and smiled at the orange digimon.

"Great idea Agumon. Come on Gabumon, let's get you warm and rested," she quickly encouraged.

She didn't notice how Agumon stared at her or Gabumon smiled. Sarai took off her jumper and wrapped Gabumon in the clothing. Gabumon didn't know much about this human, but so far he liked her. She was extremely considerate of him and he was glad Gaomon had someone like her to care for him too.

Sarai looked back at Gaomon, wondering why her digimon friend wasn't following. Gaomon shook his head and urged her to continue. She wasn't sure why Gaomon would want to stay behind with Matt and Tai, but reasoned it was a good idea either way. Gaomon would protect the two boys if anything were to happen.

She trusted him.

Sarai, Gabumon and Agumon made their way to the cave, leaving behind Tai, Matt and Gaomon.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

There were two reasons as to why Gaomon stayed.

One, he wasn't ready to face Gabumon. Agumon's words were still on his mind and he still felt bad about simply leaving. Tsunamon had always been shy, quiet and very kind but he didn't know Gabumon. Agumon was clearly different from the Koromon he knew. Who's to say the others aren't the same?

Two, he wasn't happy with the two human boys. He didn't know this Matt, but the human wasn't impressing Gaomon one bit. In fact, both boys were failing to impress the dog digimon. They were nothing like he imagined. Sarai hadn't been able to tell him much about the other humans, but with how desperate and determined she was to catch up, he expected more.

Tai was rude, Matt was rude and both boys made Sarai nervous.

Gaomon did not like it.

"Now then, what should we do?" Tai questioned.

"Isn't it obvious? We look for the others!" Matt readily answered.

Gaomon observed how the two talked and judged them heavily. Did all other humans ask stupid questions?

"So I'm asking, how are we going to look for them?" Tai slowly elaborated.

The expression Tai wore looked carefully controlled, as if he was trying to be patient.

"I'm sure everyone's separated and they're all on different islands now,"

So Agumon's human didn't just ask stupid questions, only phrased them too simply. The dog digimon was amused to realize that Agumon and Tai made a compatible partnership.

"How can we look if we can't even fly!?" Tai added.

Gaomon felt himself grow irritated at the mention of flying. Evidently Agumon's human was still rude despite not being stupid. Matt sneered and folded his arms and turned away.

"I'll swim if I have to!"

Gaomon stared at Gabumon's human with interest. Perhaps he was the stupid one. As Tai called Matt an idiot and explained why swimming wouldn't work, Gaomon found himself nodding in agreement.

"Then I'll build a raft from the trees, okay!?" Matt argued.

Stupid and stubborn….. Gaomon suddenly pitied Gabumon for having such a reckless human.

Gaomon listened as Tai tried to calm Matt down, all the while thinking on what he would have to do. So far, the digimon had noticed just how…..lacking these human's were to Sarai. Agumon hadn't known about snow, which told Gaomon his human hadn't explained things like Sarai did for him. Gaomon also didn't fail to notice that Matt didn't have a bag as well, which meant they had no supplies. The dog digimon had a suspicion that Gabumon only caught his cold because of something Gabumon's human had done.

It's not surprising that Gaomon's opinion on these other humans sunk lower as he continued to watch them argue.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Agumon kept a careful eye on Sarai as she catered to Gabumon. She was just so different to the other humans, it bothered the orange digimon. After it was understood that they digimon could digivolve to protect them, the other humans had left the fighting to them. Agumon saw Sarai run into the fight recklessly without care.

It's different, he knows it is.

Gaomon and Sarai only had each other and Agumon gets it.

It doesn't stop him from feeling upset, or from feeling confused. It doesn't stop Agumon from feeling lost on what to do with Gaomon. When he imagined reuniting with the youngest of his hatch mate's he never expected to see a stranger.

It bothered Agumon that Sarai knew Gaomon better than him.

Sarai gave a tired sigh and rubbed at her arms. Agumon found himself staring at the wrapped injury on her arm. The dino digimon remembered the dark feeling Tai had felt at seeing the injury. He frowned, only aware he was doing so when Gabumon nudged him.

"Agumon?"

At the prompting of his name Sarai turned to him with concern as well. Agumon could only blink in surprise as she then pressed her hand against his own head.

"Are you feeling okay Agumon? I hope you're not getting sick as well," she mumbled.

Agumon felt himself growing guilty for being suspicious of her. He knew he was being jealous and it was unfair of him to try and blame Sarai. The solution was simple, he'd just have to get to know the new Gaomon. He smiled so wide his eyes came together in a squint.

"I'm sorry Sarai," he apologized.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Will Gabumon be okay?"

Sarai gave him a confused smile before shaking her head and assuring both of them.

"Our best solution is to keep him warm and well rested."

"You don't have to worry so much about me Sarai. I'll be okay," Gabumon insisted.

From behind Sarai, Agumon gave his hatch mate a stern look. Gabumon always did this, assure everyone he was fine even if he wasn't. As per usual, Gabumon ignored the look with an air of stubbornness. Usually, the human's tended to accept Gabumon's act of pretend when he insisted like this. While Matt never seemed to believe Gabumon, Agumon knew Gabumon's human partner would quietly tend to the digimon in his own way. So it surprised both digimon when Sarai pushed with her concern.

"It's okay not to be okay. Sometimes, admitting defeat in a moment of weakness makes us stronger. I'm sure Matt would rather you get better than to see you push yourself and get worse."

Gabumon stared at Sarai with shock before slowly smiling.

"Wow, you're really smart," he praised unknowingly echoing Agumon from earlier.

Sarai laughed before shaking her head in denial. She gave Gabumon a reassuring pet on the head as she next spoke.

"Matt has a lot on his mind, but when he cares there is nothing that can stop him. I still don't know him that well, but I've seen him around. I know I've only just met you both, but it's obvious you're both very important to Tai and Matt."

Both digimon felt an invisible weight they hadn't even noticed, suddenly lift itself from their shoulders. Despite how far they've come with their human partners, the digimon always felt this little niggling bit of doubt. Sarai didn't know it, but hearing her words had effectively eased both digimon. It helped to hear an outsider's opinion on the progress of their partnership with their humans.

"Gaomon must be really important to you too then."

Agumon stared at the smiling Gabumon. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten just how sly and sneaky Gabumon could get when he was protective. Gabumon hadn't bonded close with Palmon and Biyomon without learning a few things. Agumon peered at Sarai and wondered if she could sense the probing question hidden within Gabumon's words.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Gaomon," Sarai lowly spoke with a heavy tone.

She sounded strange to the digimon; grateful but sad, happy but bitter, loving but disappointed. It confused them, but Gabumon figured it must be another one of those human things they didn't get. Agumon however spotted the strange dark gleam in Sarai's eyes and how she started to flex the fingers of her injured arm.

"What do you mean 'MORE IMPORTANTLY'!?" they heard Matt shout.

All three looked towards the opening of the cave and ventured out with concern. Agumon forgot about the dark gleam in Sarai's eyes, and Gabumon no longer had questions to ask. If Agumon had continued to watch Sarai just a little bit longer, he would have seen that dark gleam brighten before it turned into terror.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

If Gaomon had felt impartial towards Tai and Matt earlier, it was nothing compared to his displeasure now. Gaomon thought Tai was being rather reasonable with his attempts to reassure or calm Matt down. Then of course, the google wearing human had to sound so interested in where the island was going. Gaomon shouldn't have been as surprised as he was when Matt suddenly snapped.

"Is there anything more important than looking for the others!?" Matt angrily snapped.

Gaomon noticed Agumon, Gabumon and Sarai come out from the cave. Sarai was watching the two with wide eyes from behind Agumon and Gabumon. Gaomon felt a strange stirring of emotion from Sarai and watched her closely.

After Matt's outburst, before he took off running, Sarai had moved forward. She looked as if she was going to chase after Matt, and Gaomon frowned at that. He didn't want her in the cold any longer than she should be. Especially as she'd given her jumper away to Gabumon.

"Stay here, I'll go after him," Gaomon instructed, mostly talking to Sarai.

She looked reluctant to listen but he smiled reassuringly until she gave a hesitant nod. Tai nodded his head in agreement and spoke to the others as well.

"Gaomon and I will catch up with him and make him see sense."

"I'm coming too!" Agumon insisted.

Gabumon opened his mouth to say something but Gaomon cut him off as Tai nodded in agreement. Agumon watched quietly, curious as to what would happen next.

"You're sick and Sarai's arm is scratched."

Gabumon looked upset with that but Sarai placed her hand on his head in comfort. Gabumon looked at her curiously, but Sarai was stubbornly staring both Tai and Gaomon down.

"The longer we wait, the further Matt gets. If we want to catch up with him we better hurry."

"Sarai you're both-

"We'll be right behind you," she pushed cutting off whatever Tai was going to say.

Gaomon frowned but he knew Sarai was compromising right now. There was no way she was willing to stay behind, so she was going to follow at a slower pace. It was probably the best she was willing to offer and Gaomon didn't want to argue.

"Fine," he huffed before taking off.

It didn't take long for him to hear Tai and Agumon follow after him. By straining his hearing he could hear the faint shuffling of Gabumon and Sarai not too far behind the other two. He assured himself Sarai would be fine and that Gabumon would watch out for her.

They weren't alone anymore, he had to remember that.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Matt was angry.

How could Tai talk so casually!? Didn't he worry about the others at all!? Did he not understand that somewhere out there TK was all alone!? Tai was such an insensitive jerk and Matt would not just stand around and wonder about the world while TK was lost and alone. He had no idea where he was running, he just had to do something. He had to find TK and make sure he's okay.

"MATT WAIT UP!" Tai cried.

Matt yelped with shock as he felt something grab him around the legs. He fell with a heavy thud into the cold and turned over to see Tai. Not too far behind Tai came the others and Matt purposely ignored Sarai and the look of concern on Gabumon's face.

Tai was speaking but Matt was so angry he only caught a few of what was said.  **Might**  find a way to catch up with the others!? Matt didn't want to hear that they  ** _'might'_**  find the others! Tai didn't understand that for Matt it was more of a  **NEED.**

He  _needed_  to find TK.

"LIKE HELL YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW I'M FEELING!" he yelled before letting his fist fly.

Tai fell back with a yelp and Agumon cried out his name with concern. Sarai gave a sharp gasp and was watching them with wide eyes. Gabumon cried out Matt's name with shock and concern. Gaomon was too busy worrying about Sarai to care about Matt and Tai, something didn't feel right.

Matt was too angry to care about anything, rather than calm down he embraced the anger he felt.

"That insensitivity of yours is what pisses me off!" He sneered.

Tai had been keeping his calm rather well so far, but Matt had just punched him. It was the last straw for the google wearing boy and with clenched teeth he lunged and tackled the blond boy. Tai pulled back his fist and punched Matt just as he'd done to him.

The fist fight that followed really wasn't surprising.

"Stop it!" Agumon cried with worried eyes.

The dino digimon didn't know what to do. This wasn't a fight where he could just digivolve and beat up the bad guy. This was a fight between humans and that made a huge difference.

"This is no time for fighting!" Gabumon stressed.

The fur coat digimon could feel the truth of Matt's emotions. He knew that Matt was just scared for TK and worried. He wanted to step in and get them to stop, but what could he do? Would Matt even listen to him when he hadn't before?

Both digimon only looked away from the fighting boys when Gaomon gave a panicked cry of Sarai's name. They looked to the third human with them and were unnerved by what they saw.

Sarai was trembling and her eyes were wide with fear. The dark gleam in her eyes was hard to ignore and she was breathing incredibly fast. Gaomon was shaking her and crying her name with panic and borderline terror. Agumon couldn't help but notice how Sarai was digging into her injured arm with her other hand to the point it looked like it hurt.

"What's wrong with her?" Gabumon asked.

Gaomon ignored them, too busy trying to snap Sarai out of the panic attack she'd fallen into.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

When Sarai saw Matt yell, the image before her flickered and she saw her mother. When Matt punched Tai in the face, Sarai was no longer in the Digital World. Instead, she was six again and watching the weight of her mother's fist strike her father. Slowly the memory only grew clearer and she was lost to the terror her nine year old self felt.

_"Maria please, Sarai is- ***whack***_ "

"Sarai!" _"Ichika!"_

_Sarai is terrified as she watches her parents from her seat at the piano. She can barely stop herself from crying as her mother approaches her; her father has his head bowed behind her. When her mother reaches her, Sarai tries to swallow her crying._

"Sarai!"  _"Ichika! What did I tell you about crying!?"her mother snaps._

_"N-n-not t-t-to *hic* *hic*nngh *sniff*"_

"Sarai! Please!"  _"Maria Please, she's just a child! I know you feel as if-"_

_Sarai yelps and covers her ears as her mother turns towards her father with angry eyes. It's useless as her mother still can be heard. There's another loud slap and her father is pressing against his cheeks with a wince._

_"LIKE HELL YOU KNOW WHAT I'M FEELING! You are a weak and pathetic little man."_

"STOP IT!" Agumon shouts.

It's enough to pull her from her memory and back to the present. It doesn't stop her from hearing the voice of her mother in her mind.

Pathetic.

Poor.

Worthless.

She can feel her chest growing cold as she continues to hyperventilate. The wound on her arm stings so much it feels as if her arm is burning. Regardless, Sarai only has eyes for the two boys who are still fighting and are slowly making their way towards a cliff. Without warning, she runs and the digimon are left to scramble after her. It's Gabumon who clicks why she rushed and he cries out with fear.

"LOOK OUT! YOU'RE HEADING TOWARDS A CLIFF!"

The boys come to a stop just before they can roll off the edge. Sarai doesn't stop she keeps running to catch up with them while the digimon scramble to follow after her. Tai has his fist ready to punch Matt again only to stop when he realizes Matt is crying.

"TK! He can't do anything on his own!"

"Matt… you…."

There's a rumbled sound and both boys feel a swoop of panic as they realize what's happening. The snow beneath them gives way and their crying out as they fall. However, it's not their name yelled with fear but another.

"SARAI!" Gaomon howled as he watched her leap of the cliff without hesitation seconds after Tai fell.

It's luck that Sarai managed to grab hold of Tai's hand and that Tai had a tight grip on Matt's. Just as it seemed the three human's would go falling to their deaths, Gaomon had leaped after Sarai. He managed to catch hold of her foot while Gabumon had grabbed his. Agumon strained with all the strength in his small body to hold tightly to Gabumon and pull everyone up from his place on the edge.

"Hold on! Gah! I'm so hungry I can't get any strength." Agumon stressed through strained teeth.

Gabumon gave a sneeze and almost lost hold on Gaomon. Gaomon was too concerned about Sarai to say anything. The poor dog digimon couldn't forget the look Sarai wore as she jumped. She hadn't seemed to think twice, and it left Gaomon feeling terrified. It was too similar to how she shielded him from the Devidramon.

Sarai's grip on Tai's hand was so tight, her knuckles were white and Tai was losing feeling in his arm. Despite that, neither boy could stop staring in wide eyed shock at her. The digimon couldn't see Sarai's face, but the two boys could. What they saw shook both boys to the very core.

"P-Please…..P-please don't fight…." She croaked weakly.

She was crying and her cold tears fell on both boys shocked faces.

Agumon heard the crunching of the snow and turned only to gasp in shock. An incredibly hairy digimon stood with a rumbling cry with an icicle in hand.

"Mojyamon!?" Agumon named before finally noticing the black gear sticking out from it's hair.

"Icicle Rod!" the digimon cried before digging the ice rod into the ground.

All six of them gave a cry as they all began to fall. Gabumon and Agumon gripped each other tightly, Tai and Matt held onto each other's hands as tight as possible. Gaomon clung to Sarai and she did the same as they screamed throughout their fall.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Despite the ache of his head and belly, Frigimon was relieved to find everyone was okay. The food he'd been carrying was scattered everywhere on the ground. The shock of the falling human and digimon started to wear off.

"You guys really scared me."

The kids all heaved as they tried to shake off their shock. Gabumon and Agumon both moved closer to their human partners, but all eyes were on Sarai and Gaomon. Gaomon was still clinging tightly to Sarai and she was doing the exact same. Agumon and Gabumon were worried about Sarai, not sure what had happened to her before she jumped after the boys. Their worry now extended to Gaomon as they both had heard the extreme horror in his voice as he cried her name.

"G-Gaomon?" Sarai croaked with confusion.

The dog digimon didn't answer, only nodded his head and clung tighter. Sarai spared a few seconds to cling to him as well, before she kissed his furry head in assurance and pulled away. She hadn't realized just how many were watching them until she did.

"Tai! Matt! You're okay!" she exclaimed before slumping with relief.

She didn't move Gaomon, instead she adjusted to his hold before he moved with her. She crawled to where Agumon and Gabumon were and checked the two digimon over before relaxing completely. The two digimon could only blink at her as she weakly smiled.

"Thank Goodness, you're all okay."

"Sarai, what happened….?" Gabumon started unable to forget how she just froze.

Sarai blinked before tilting her head and smiling wider.

"Eh? I'm fine Gabumon."

Matt stared at her and found himself angry with how she was smiling. He just knew she was lying. She was crying- BOTH he and Tai saw her. The way Gaomon was clinging her too only further showed something was wrong. Why was she just smiling and telling them she was fine!?

Matt opened his mouth to say something but Tai elbowed him in the rib. The google wearing boy gave a firm shake of his head. Matt glared, he didn't like it but Tai had spent longer with the girl. A small part of Matt worried something had happened to her when they abandoned her. If that was the case, he had no right to get mad as it was his fault they left her behind. If Matt had never pushed the idea they leave then Sarai wouldn't have been all alone. Matt only turned away from Tai to show his agreement.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

She was vaguely aware of Tai thanking Frigimon for the food and saving them. Most of her attention was towards Gaomon who still refused to let her go. She felt guilt fester in her belly again as she realized she'd done it again. She left him behind when she promised they were a team.

She couldn't keep saying sorry as if it would make everything okay.

She knew from experience it didn't.

Instead she repeated their promise.

"A team…." She whispered.

Gaomon pulled back and looked up at her before nodding.

"A team."

It wasn't an apology, it was something better.

A reminder and a promise.

After another quick squeeze, Gaomon finally let her go. She gave him a final petting caress before she moved closer to the others. Frigimon had a few berries and something that looked like a carrot potato in hand. Matt, Tai and Agumon were already eating, while Gabumon was sniffing at some grass things Frigimon gave him.

"What are those?" she quietly asked Frigimon as she passed the carrot potato thing to Gaomon.

She sighed when her digimon friend made no move to eat until she stuffed a few berries into her mouth. She didn't see how Frigimon watched them with amusement, while the other's kept a careful eye on them subtly.

"These herbs should help with the cold!" Frigimon explained.

Gabumon took them gratefully and didn't hesitate to eat it. Sarai ate another couple berries and tried to hide her frown. Now that Frigimon had also got them food, giving the snow digimon a fruit basket as thanks seemed silly. She mentally sighed and resigned herself to trying to think of another way to show thanks to the snow digimon.

A loud thud and a roar announced Mojyamon's presence. Frigimon didn't waste time in standing in defense of them. They hurried out of the way feeling the fear from earlier return. Sarai felt her arm tingle and clenched her fist. It didn't feel right to simply leave Frigimon to fight alone. She looked at the other two boys and saw the same expression on their faces.

"We have to help him!" Tai determined.

"You good to go Gabumon?" Matt prompted.

"Ready!" "Bring it on!" Gabumon and Agumon cheered.

Sarai smiled and looked to Gaomon who was already in a fighting stance.

"A team," she repeated.

Tai and Matt's digivices started to glow and the two digimon felt the warm light engulf them. It was different for Sarai and Gaomon, as they nodded at each other before charging towards the two fighting digimon.

Matt and Tai blinked in shock as they saw Sarai and Gaomon jump straight into attacking without Gaomon digivolving first.

"What the hell is she doing!?" Matt blurted.

"Could she…" Tai absently gaped as he remembered her doing the same as last time.

"Could she what Tai!?" Matt snapped.

"I don't think she knows how the digimon digivolve," Tai answered.

As the light faded and both Greymon and Garurumon stood in place, Gaomon had attacked and Sarai was weaving in out at the feet of the two giant digimon.

"GAOMON LET'S GO!" Sarai cried out as Greymon and Garurumon began their attacks.

Matt and Tai gaped as Gaomon gave another attack and was engulfed by a quick flash of light. It had been quick- much quicker than both Greymon and Garurumon's digivolving, but after the flash Gaogamon was there with an attack already in motion.

"I thought you said-"

"I know what I said!" Tai snapped interrupting the accusation Matt had started.

Sarai took no notice of the boys, too busy climbing onto Gaogamon's back. Greymon had been a little more warned about Sarai's presence in the battle from last time. As such only Garurumon was a little surprised to see Sarai run and jump from Gaogamon's back with her fist pulled back. She gave a cry as she struck out with her cog covered fist, successfully distracting Mojyamon before Greymon's mega flame attack.

Mojyamon let out a grunt of pain before readying his bone and crying out his attack.

" **BOOMERANG BONE!"**

Garurumon snapped out of his surprise and focused on the fight. He jumped and managed to catch the bone boomerang before it could do any damage. He gave a mighty chomp and shattered the bone weapon with his teeth. Matt cheered for him from the sidelines.

"GET HIM GREYMON!" Tai cheered.

Greymon readied another mega flame attack but Mojyamon was faster. After quick jump, the Hairy digimon high kicked Greymon to the ground. He only had seconds after his attack to wait before Gaogamon and Sarai came at him again.

Sarai was swinging from the ends of Gaogamon's red cape straps on his shoulder. She managed to land a kick at Mojyamon's face and was followed up by Gaogamon using double claw. Mojyamon gave a roar of pain while Frigimon held him from behind.

"Quick! Aim at the Black Gear!" the snow digimon cried.

Altogether, Gaogamon, Greymon and Garurumon released their attacks.

**"MEGA FLAME" "FOX FIRE" "SPIRAL BLOW"**

The combined attack was so strong it continued pass the fallen Frigimon and Mojyamon and clashed with the mountain. There was a loud creaking sound as the gears in the mountain stopped turning.

Sarai climbed down from Gaogamon's back and stood beside Matt and Tai. The burning of her arm was harder to ignore the closer she stood to the mountain. She tried to hide how tightly she was clenching her fist but didn't see the look Matt had given her.

"These black gears were separating Matt and TK!" Garurumon growled.

Gaogamon didn't say anything instead he was already in the process of readying another attack. The two canine digimon growled before both let out another cry of attack.

**"FOX FIRE" "SPIRAL BLOW"**

When the gears started to crumble and burst Garurumon let out a satisfied growl. Greymon however felt uneasy as he had been watching Gaogamon at the time. The dinosaur digimon hoped he had only imagined the savagely dark grin that had flitted it's way across the dog digimon's face.

Only after the gears had stopped turning completely and started to crumble did Sarai's arm stop hurting. She let out a low gasp of relief and flexed her fingers, unaware of the suspicious gaze Matt watched her with. The three digimon were then engulfed by light once more and had returned to their rookie forms.

Like Frigimon, Mojyamon looked confused and couldn't make sense of what he'd been doing. Sarai did her best to reassure the poor digimon and soon enough Agumon, Gabumon and Frigimon did the same. Gaomon kept his distance like Matt and Tai. The three watched the others mingle until Matt spoke.

"We need to hurry and find the others…"

Tai nodded and agreement but heard the sound of tinkering. Gaomon and Sarai eerily had snapped their heads back towards the Black gears, while Sarai grabbed at her arm again. Tai had noticed Gaomon's rather strong reaction, so had Matt, while Agumon was watching Sarai.

"The gears are turning backwards," Agumon pointed out.

"Could it be…. the island is going back?" Matt pondered.

Tai ran to check and soon enough, Matt joined him. Not long after, Gabumon and Agumon joined them too. Tai turned to Matt with a grin on his face and held his hand up for shake.

"I guess we shouldn't waste any more time fighting. I'm sure TK is doing fine on his own."

"Yeah, he is my little brother after all," Matt smirked.

The two boys looked out towards the sea to where Infinity Mountain awaited them. Behind them Agumon and Gabumon smiled wide at seeing their human partners no longer fighting. Frigimon and Mojyamon shared looks of amusement at seeing the humans and their partners so determined.

It was Frigimon who remembered the caring girl Human and her grumpy Gaomon. He looked over to the last two and frowned. Both Sarai and Gaomon hadn't moved from where they had been. Sarai was still on the ground gripping her arm while Gaomon was at her side. The both of them stared at the turning black gears with a certain expression Frigimon couldn't name.

It was an expression that worried him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Few Notes of interest: Gaomon is incredibly bias towards humans if you couldn't tell. Sarai has a lot of trauma which she has unintentionally passed on to Gaomon. The Canon characters and their digimon will be a little more darker and mature due to Sarai and Gaomon's involvement. They may be kids, but leaving behind someone is never an easy choice to make. To live with the guilt is probably harder. As for the digimon, they share a connection with their human partners, and sometimes that bond can influence them, both in good ways and bad.*


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was getting too long and I'd reached the end of episode 12. So part 2 will feature all the fighting action and the reunion of the kids picking up from the beginning of Episode 13: The legend of the digidestined.
> 
> Someone reviewed and said they weren't sure who they are supposed to ship. Which made me cackle like an evil overlord. I'm not going to say who Sarai ends up with, but am totally 100% happy to find out who you want her to end up with as the story progresses. Romance isn't the focus, as I'm really just playing with character development with this fic.
> 
> As you read on, you'll notice there is a TONNE of tension between characters (including digimon) and a whole bunch of awkward from my Oc.
> 
> I'm going to state at the end of the chapters which episodes I've covered, if anyone is interested in knowing how far along in the show I am.
> 
> Please leave a review and share your thoughts x
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: ANY AND ALL RECOGNIZED DIALOGUE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!

**Chapter 6: Black is just a shade- not a Mood [part 1]**

-  _She was strange in a way that didn't make sense to them. What they didn't know tended to scare them in the worst ways._

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The grinding of the black gears were loud. All she could hear was the sound of grinding metal and clinking gears. The sound was just as grating as the burning of her arm. She heard the others talking a few ways off, she thinks it was Tai trying to distract Matt from worrying about TK. Beyond that, Sarai can't bring herself to move. She feels….. stuck as if she's been hammered in place by a heavy weight of something invisible- something she just can't find the words to describe.

"Sarai….." Gaomon lowly prompts.

She doesn't need to look beside her to know he is frozen in place just like her. The both of them stuck staring at the grinding gears. She swallows pass the dryness of her throat and answers with a croaky 'yeah'.

"Somethings wrong isn't it," he whispers softly.

The feeling in her stomach grows worse and she feels her eyes burn with unshed tears of denial. The burning of her injury spikes and she clenches her fists to fight off the loud voices in her head.  _'Pathetic. Do it Again Ichika!'_ ***WHACK*** _'Papa! Mother please-'_

Sarai sucks in a shaky breath and forces herself not to cry. She turns to Gaomon and smiles at him just like Papa always did for her.

"Of course not, I'm fine."

She knows he doesn't believe her, but just as she always did, he quietly accepts the lie.

It takes more effort than it should for her to turn away from the clinking gears. She does her best to ignore the spike of terrible memories that lingers in her thoughts and seeks out Tai and Matt. She finds the two boys contently looking out into the distance, squinting to see the other islands.

Sarai feels her lips turn up into a small smile, happy that neither of them are fighting anymore.

"Hey! Hey! Sarai, what are you smiling for?" Agumon questions with interest.

She startles at his call, having not noticed he was so close. She grins at him and gives him a fond pat on the head before answering. He's warm to touch and it's a nice change from the chill of the cold around them.

"I'm just glad that we'll be able to find the others too."

Gaomon gives a low hum and a deep purr as he presses close on her other side. He's warm too and she gratefully moves closer. The tight feeling in her chest, the bad memories and burning of her arm is easier to ignore with Gaomon sharing his warmth.

"Sarai? You look cold and tired!" Gabumon adds as he joins them.

She blinks and feels a bit confused, unsure of when she even closed her eyes.

"I'm-"

"You should rest." Gaomon interrupts.

She frowns at him but he doesn't relent.

"We can't have you sick. Rest. All we can do now is wait."

_'Not alone anymore'_  his eyes seem to say.

Sarai looks around and spots Frigimon and Mojyamon talking closer by the mountain. Matt and Tai are idly chatting with each other looking completely at ease. When she looks beside her, Agumon is grinning at her widely and Gabumon looks encouraging.

She should feel safe now.

The anxious need to constantly stay on guard should have eased up.

So why does she still feel so nervous and scared?

Her eyes drift towards the clinking gears and the sound of their movement is eerily hypnotizing. It's not until Gabumon places a paw on her lap that she snaps out of it.

"Right. I think I just need to rest."

She doesn't want to, but what else can she do?

At the urging of the three digimon, Sarai settles by the trunk of one of the trees. It's a perfect spot, as it keeps everyone in her line of sight. Gabumon and Gaomon press up on either side of her and Agumon lays across her lap. The three digital monsters are incredibly warm and she focuses on the warmth they give as she eventually drifts to sleep.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The tension between Mimi and Izzy was suffering- overwhelming even. A few steps away Tentomon, Palmon and Centarumon simply watched the humans. Mimi was hovering, moving about and pacing so much it was slowly giving Palmon a headache just to watch. Izzy was perhaps worst, his face so close to his screen and the tap tap tapping of his fingers on his keyboard was driving Tentomon insane. For what was probably the twelfth time, Mimi turned to Izzy with a huffy and snippy tone.

"Can't you make this stupid island go any faster, Izzy!?"

The digimon turned to look at Izzy and saw how the red head's brow twitched with growing irritation.

"For the last time Mimi! This is highly complex stuff! Simply decoding and translating this algorithm is going to-"

Mimi gave a hysterical whine and turned so quickly the digimon wondered if she had hurt her neck. Izzy tensed his jaw and momentarily stopped typing to curl his fingers in attempt to stay calm. Once again, Mimi's eyes were filling with tears but this time it had nothing to do with the red headed boy.

"I saw her Izzy! Sarai was there! She's alive and she FOUND us!" Mimi's voice trembled and Izzy swallowed pass the dryness in his throat and heavy sensation in his gut.

They all saw Sarai's arrival.

When Matt had suggested they push on and argued the probability that Sarai hadn't come with them. Izzy hadn't exactly agreed but he had acknowledged it was a good point. He had privately in his mind argued that he'd remained neutral in the decision. It had been Matt's suggestion and Tai had made the final decision.

It's not like Izzy had called Joe and Mimi liars.

It's not like Izzy had ignored the possibility that Sarai  _could have_  fallen with them.

It had only been logical for them to push on.

They had to, because of TK.

They had to…but it doesn't stop the guilt in his stomach from consuming him.

It hadn't made him forget the possibility that they had abandoned a kid and possibly left her to die.

"She's alive and we-…." Mimi broke into another choked sob.

'She's not dead' is what Izzy wants to point out, but his gut tells him it'd be the wrong thing to say.

'We did the most logical thing' he thought again but the guilt grew worse at that thought.

'We had no choice' he thinks again but the thought feels like a lie.

"Izzy?" Tentomon calls dragging Izzy out from his thoughts.

Izzy blinks rapidly and is startled to notice that Palmon has taken Mimi aside to comfort her. He looks at the concerned bug digimon at his side and furrows his brow. He doesn't have time- he needs to finish decoding this digital code. He needs to figure out a way to get this island moving faster.

"Perhaps if I….."

Izzy focuses every bit of his attention on his computer and ignores all things around him. He doesn't see how the bug digimon at his side wilts or how the plant digimon looks to her hatch mate with concern while she hugs the pink clad human in her arms. None of them see the intrigue Centarumon considers them with.

Centarumon looks to the ancient digital code scratched onto the walls of the temple and wonders. He wonders if these small miserable humans could possibly be the legendary digidestines long prophesied. He wonders and worries, because a great evil awaits these children and if they are not strong enough to defeat it, it would mean the end of his world.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Matt looks over to where the digimon and Sarai sleep. He stares because the proof of his biggest mistake is asleep a few ways ahead of him. It's his fault and the terror he'd ignored about possibly being wrong rears it's ugly head with a vengeance. Sarai is a alive and Matt had pushed for the others to abandon her. If she had died, it would have been Matt's fault.

Because it had been his idea.

"Stop it."

Matt turns to Tai and is unsure of what to make of the expression he wears. Tai is looking at the sleeping digimon and Sarai as well.

"We didn't know, Matt. It's not our fault."

It's the truth but all Matt hears is an excuse.

"Joe and Mimi did. They told us they saw her fall" he lowly argues.

Neither boy dares to speak any louder. Neither boy wants to risk the digimon overhearing them. Both boys eye the blue dog digimon and share an uncomfortable glance. They especially don't want to know how the newest digimon in their group would react to their topic of conversation. Gaomon was incredibly intimidating, partly because they didn't know him like they did their own partner digimon; but especially because they'd abandoned Sarai who was it's partner.

Tai tenses his jaw and stubbornly stares Matt down, trying to prove he's right.

"We took a risk."

"It was my idea, Tai!" Matt snapped in response.

Tai challenges the blond boy with a glare and pushes forward with his own argument.

"You had to think about TK. Do you really think he would have made it back up that mountain Matt!? Huh? Do you think the digimon could have taken Kuwagamon on their own then!? You just pointed out the facts, Matt. It's not your fault, Okay!"

Matt clenched his fists, and they heard a noise come from the sleeping group. Both boys immediately fell silent and Tai pulled Matt a further bit away. When Tai faces Matt again, there is a solemn gleam in his eyes and when he speaks its with a firm tone.

"We did what we had to do. It might not have been the right choice but it was the best we could do at the time."

Tai looks back to where Sarai and the digimon sleep and repeats his words.

"We did what we had to do."

Matt releases a heavy sigh and focuses on the confidence and pure certainty in Tai's voice. He repeats Tai's words in his head until it drowns out the guilt and his heart feels the tiniest bit lighter. Tai is right. Matt swallows and desperately misses home and his parents now more than ever. They're all just kids!

"We did what we had to do," Matt echoes and Tai clamps a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

This doesn't make anything better.

The guilt still exists, and Matt doesn't think it'll ever disappear.

All he can do from here on out is try and do better. A private vow is made between the two boys to never leave another kid behind ever again. Tai stares at Sarai and despite all he said to Matt, he can't bring himself to believe any of it. Tai knows he'd made the wrong choice, but that's something he's going to have to live with.

Sarai is with them now, she survived.

From here on out, Tai is determined to do better.

He has to, because they  **All**  will make it back home.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sora tightens her grip on Birdramon's leg as she stares at Infinity Mountain's looming silhouette. The terror she'd felt when facing the Bakemon had yet to fade. In fact her heart was racing even more as she thought about the others. She could only pray and desperately hope that everyone was okay.

And she really did mean  **everyone.**

Sora glanced down to where Joe quietly rode Ikkaukumon's head, clinging to the digimon's horn for balance. Neither of them had talked about Sarai's appearance. In fact, Sora almost felt as if Joe  _didn't_ care that he and Mimi had been right. Now, after the Bakemon and everything, Sora understood just how wrong she'd been.

Joe did care.

He'd surprised her with how he suddenly took charge. It was Joe who figured out a way to defeat the Bakemon. The entire confrontation, Joe had been reasonably calm while she felt nothing but terrified. When Gomamon had implied they should help build Joe's confidence, Sora had agreed. She'd thought out of all of them, Joe would probably freak out the most. Instead, she found herself unintentionally relying on Joe to figure everything out.

It was strangely easy to forget that Joe was the oldest out of all of them. Especially, when they all followed Tai's lead. She felt her heart beat begin to slow and found herself feeling reassured with the knowledge she had Joe with her. Just imagining how things could have gone if she had been on her own caused her to tighten her grip on Birdramon further.

Sora knows she'd not be able to do it if she'd been alone.

She thinks of Sarai and bites at her lip.

Despite her honest relief the other girl is alive, she worries over what the girl had faced alone.

Unlike Sora, Joe's mind is rather quiet, oddly calm despite their situation. He stares at Infinity Mountain with determination thrumming throughout his entire system. Sarai is alive, and she'd found them. He thought about crowing and shouting 'I told you so!' in all the other's faces. However, what was the point? Sarai was alive and Joe didn't care about anything else but that.

Joe only had one sure thought screaming in his head as Ikkakumon braved the cold ocean waves.

No one else is going to be left alone.

None of them are separating again.

Joe was going to make sure of it.

He's the eldest and it's about time he act his age.

The two digimon could feel the emotions of their human partners. Birdramon worried for Sora, influenced by the red haired girls worry for the other children. Ikkakumon however swam his hardest as desperate determination and hope urged him forward. The water digimon's mind couldn't forget the dog digimon that had come to Tai's rescue.

Gaomon.

Ikkakumon was certain- he had no doubt at all, that Gaomon had to be him.

Wanyamon.

His hatch mate.

Ikkakumon just needed to confirm it.

Once he did, he was going to embrace his long missing hatch mate.

The four continued their journey in silence, lost and overwhelmed with their inner worries and feelings.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai wakes up feeling a little too warm. She squints and takes note of the lightening sky and the numbing sensation of her legs. She blinks and chases the disorientating spell of sleep from her mind. She's surprised to see Agumon's snoring form sprawled over her legs as well as Gabumon and Gaomon on either side of her. She softens and can't help the smile that grows on her lips. The slumbering digimon are too cute for words, and she can't help but wish she didn't have to move.

She looks about and worries a bit when she can't spot Matt or Tai. Sarai bites her lip as the need to relieve herself grows persistent. After a few minutes of strategic moving and quiet deliberation, she manages to free herself from the digimon pile. The three digimon only cuddle closer to each other and continue to sleep. She can't help but wish she had a camera to capture the moment.

Sarai manages to hold it until she finally discovers the two boys. They too seem to have fallen asleep, but the expression both wear looks bothered. Tai looks sad and uncomfortable as he tosses in his sleep, but Matt looks angry.

"Guys?" she whispers, wondering if they both are suffering nightmares.

Neither one stirs at her hesitant call. She can't bring herself to hold it any longer and decides to unzip her jumper and cover both boys. Maybe it was the cool air causing the two to sleep uncomfortably? She walks far enough for some privacy and quickly relieves herself. All the while, wistfully missing indoor plumbing back home.

She washes her hands with the slushy melting snow on one of the rocks. As she makes her way back to the others, she contemplates everything that had happened. The memory of the fighting causes her to wince and then as if it had been waiting for her, the clanking sound of the gears grow loud in her ears.

Sarai freezes while her injury burns.

She didn't even notice that she'd walk to the exposed black gears on the side of the mountain. The screaming, fighting and tears of her darkest memories overwhelm her again, and her arm hurts. Sarai knows then without a doubt that the gears are the cause.

She carefully unwraps the material hiding her injury and hisses at the exposure it suffers. It's a horrible red and is weeping a clear sort of liquid. She doesn't see any yellow or green pus but she knows that the wound is worse than before. Still, she holds out hope that it's not infected.

"Evil has touched you child!"

Sarai swallows the scream in her throat and jumps to attention. Mojyamon is frowning at her wound and looks concerned. Behind him, Frigimon is quietly staring at her arm with horror. Sarai instinctively covers the wound, ignoring the spike of pain she feels at jostling it so much. Behind her the gears noisily increase with their movement and the dark whispers in her head scream louder.

"I-I What?" she stammers.

Frigimon glares at Mojyamon, silently scolding the digimon for scaring the human child. Wisely, Mojyamon stays quiet and leaves Frigimon to tend to the human child. Both of the digimon had sensed the darkness around the child's wound. When they had been infected with the Black gear, they had sensed the wrongness around the injury. Now that they were free, they'd been keeping a close eye on the child.

Frigimon despairs over the kind caring girls injury.

The two digimon can still feel the imprint of the black gears influence in their minds. Both suspect it's a sensation that will never leave. They worry because the child is human, and humans don't heal like Digimon can.

"That doesn't look too good," Frigimon softly says.

Mojyamon can't help but think the child looks completely petrified. He shifts his stare to the turning gears and glares darkly at the turning cogs. He wants to destroy them all, grind them into dust but he can't. Not when it's so deeply embedded within the structure of his home land. He tempers himself with the reminder that everything is only temporary. If Frigimon is to be believed, these children have freed others. It will only take a meeting of all of them to fix this mess safely. They can't take any risks when File Island is home to Primary village.

"I-I'm Fine! Really I am!" the child lies.

Frigimon shakes his head but Mojyamon is not as soft as his larger snowy friend.

"Don't be silly! Hurry and take the child to get that thing tended to!"

Again he quiets under Frigimon's heavy stare but the child listens obediently when Frigimon guides her elsewhere. Far enough away from the turning black gears. Mojyamon lingers to continue his glaring, hatred filling him as he stares at the gears.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai moves to cover her injury, shame over whelming her completely at being such a bother. Frigimon stops her with a large hand, and the cold of his touch eases the burning sensation of her wound. She feels tears building in her eyes and can't bring herself to lift her head. She angrily presses her nails into her palm, hating herself for becoming a burden. The sneering of her mother in her mind agrees.

"Mojyamon didn't mean to sound so harsh."

Sarai doesn't respond, just keeps her head down and bites her lip. Frigimon chooses not to push the child into conversation. He brings them to a stop and readily seeks out the leaves and herbs that would help the irritation of the injury. After a few minutes, Sarai manages to quiet the dark whispers that had briefly taken over her mind. She blinks past the building tears in her eyes and burning sting of her wound and follows after the giant snow digimon.

"What are those?" she hesitantly questions.

She recognizes the herbs to be the same from earlier that Gabumon ate to get rid of his cold. Sarai looks about at the trees and bushes around them. She spots a lot of familiar looking fruits and nuts, and some of what Frigimon had given them to eat. At hearing the change of her tone, Frigimon readily elaborates on what he's doing.

Halfway through Frigimon's explanation, Sarai steels herself and firmly ignores her weeping wound.

"Can you teach me more about the different types of fruits and nuts? What other herbs can help heal!? How can I find them?"

Frigimion blinks, a little surprised, for some reason he never expected her to  **want** to know more about what he was saying. Still, he happily answers despite his curious question as to why she wants to know. A heavy haunting shade dulls the bright shine of her eyes.

Sarai feels her cheeks redden from embarrassment at her rude tone of demand.

"S-Sorry, it's just…."

She stares at her injury and thinks about the other children. Sarai had hoped that her injury would get better eventually, instead it had only gotten worse. She does her best to ignore the ache, burn and soreness of her arm, but it's really hard sometimes. There's something wrong with it, she knows that it's why she keeps having flashbacks and hearing dark whispers. She assumes this is what happens to a human injured by a digimon.

Sarai doesn't want the others to suffer the same.

She's already injured, and she has a feeling the others will slow down for her just like Tai did.

She doesn't want that.

"I don't know how long we're going to be stuck here. I don't want anyone else to get injured, but I know there's no way to guarantee they won't. It makes sense that I test everything out on myself to see if digimon medicine can work for humans too."

If Frigimon had eyebrows he would have risen them in alarm. While somewhat logical and smart, the idea was risky. If she did react badly to any of the digimon medicine she might make things worse or even die. However, he could tell from the passionate way she spoke that she'd made up her mind. Frigimon couldn't help but compare how….different… this human child appeared to the other two.

He softened and motioned for her to stand beside him.

"This is the herb I gave Gabumon. Most digimon eat it to get rid of colds, however it's also very good as a paste. You see if you crush it and add a bit of the juice from this berry, it turns into a numbing slave. This is a…"

Sarai dedicated her entire attention to Frigimon's explanations. She sniffed, tasted and memorized the look of every herb, fruit, nut and leaf he showed her. She mentally took notes and occasionally repeated the instructions he told her about. When Frigimon took her makeshift bandanna wrap to get it clean, she carefully restocked her leaf bag, naming everything as she put it away.

On the bottom she stocked up on herbs, leaves and nuts. They would be for emergencies only. Then she layered a few of the heavy potato like food. They'd be best to eat when they're able to get a fire going. Finally, she filled the rest of her bag with fruits, leaving the berries at the very top, for easy snack purposes. With her bag re-stocked, Sarai wondered what she should do with her remaining cog and the left over vine she'd taken out.

"Sarai! I've cleaned it! Come here so we can bandage you up again!" Frigimon urged.

She suddenly had an idea.

She still needed to thank Frigimon for all his help, and what better way than to give him a thank you gift!

"Coming!"

As the two tended to her injury, neither one noticed the two silent shadows watching them in secret. Gabumon looked to Agumon, and the dinosaur digimon shook his head. Both of them were unsure what to think after everything they'd just heard. Gaomon's partner was strange… different in a way they didn't understand compared to their own partners. It worried them, made them nervous.

"Agumon….. I like her," Gabumon quietly confessed as they made their way back to their sleeping hatch mate.

Agumon took his time in replying.

Not like it really mattered, as Gabumon had completely made up his mind. The blue striped digimon wasn't sure if he trusted Gaomon's human, but he trusted Gaomon and he liked her well enough. He can't forget how she didn't hesitate to jump after Matt and Tai. There had be no hesitation, and if she hadn't, Matt and Tai might have died.

"She worries me," Agumon admitted.

Gabumon slumped with relief at the confession. He's not blind to the awkward tension between his two hatch mates. It didn't surprise him as much as he thought it would. While Gaomon was not the wanyamon he knew, Gabumon knew Agumon better than he knew himself. He thanked his lucky stars that the dino digimon didn't hate Sarai, as it would have ended in a fight between his hatch mates.

"She worries Gaomon the most," Gabumon softly pointed out.

The both of them stared at their sleeping hatch mate. Gaomon slept with a peaceful expression, looking completely at ease and nothing like his grumpy quiet self when awake. Agumon hummed in vague agreement.

It was because of Gaomon, Agumon worried about Sarai.

Agumon had seen it- that dark gleam of savage anger in Gaogamon's eyes.

He wanted to believe it was a trick of the light, but he wasn't stupid.

It wasn't just Sarai.

There was something wrong with Gaomon too.

But Agumon kept quiet.

For now, he'd keep his silence.

Just until they reunite with the others.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"It's a promise! We'll be best friends forever!" TK declared with a gentle smile.

Patamon nodded his head and grinned.

"Of course!"

Despite the laughter and happiness of the baby digimon surrounding them, Patamon still felt the tiniest bit of helplessness. TK's promise was reassuring and filled with some much purity, Patamon was determined to protect him at all costs. There was nothing the little digimon wouldn't do for TK.

Patamon remembered the terror, and the screaming cries TK had let out when they were separated from the others. He remembered the girl who had fought beside Tai. Most of all he remembered the large dog digimon that fought and protected Agumon and Tai.

Wanyamon.

It had to be Wanyamon.

Patamon watched TK laugh and play with the baby digimon and knew it was his turn next. No matter what happened and who they'd be facing, Patamon was going to digivolve, and he was going to win.

Wanyamon had been the last one to hatch, and he had left them- chasing after something only he could feel.

Patamon would be the last one to evolve.

He was certain that meant something important.

Just like Wanyamon, Patamon could feel that his time to evolve would be very important.

"Patamon! What are you doing by yourself? Come play!" TK beckoned.

Patamon laughed and flew over, but his thoughts lingered on the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. He was determined to digivolve, but incredibly nervous….. as his instincts told him something bad was coming.

He could only hope he was just hungry and everything would turn out fine.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"I'm coming TK" Matt vowed.

They were close enough to see the shore, and Matt was starting feel impatient again. Tai and he had woken up to the three digimon's laughter. After a bit of embarrassment over the unintentional cuddling, Tai noticed they'd been covered by Sarai's jumper, which of course led to them wondering where she was.

"Sarai's with Frigimon! Their collecting food," Gabumon happily explained.

Agumon let out a groan and slumped over the grumpy looking Gaomon.

"Geez, do you think she'll be done soon? I'm starving!" the orange digimon complained.

Gaomon growled, and quickly defended Sarai, all the while trying to push Agumon off of him.

"Tch, you're too heavy! You'd get to eat if you just let me go help her!"

Agumon whined and clung to the dog digimon tighter with a sulky expression.

"But why!? I'm too comfortable and you make a great pillow! Don't you think so Gabumon?"

Matt was surprised to see Gabumon happily play along with Agumon's obvious joke. He had thought his digimon to be rather shy around the others. It was unusual but incredibly amusing to watch Gabumon flop over both Agumon and Gaomon.

"Wow! Agumon's right, you do make a great pillow!"

To Matt's surprise, two bright spots appeared on Gaomon's furry cheeks and he growled threateningly. He hadn't thought the grumpy dog digimon could look so embarrassed. Tai had laughed at the sight and then looked to Matt with a grin.

"At least the digimon are getting along great, right?"

Matt couldn't stop the short huff of laughter he'd given as a response. Tai had then decided he'd go find Sarai and Frigimon and ask what was taking so long. Which left Matt to babysit the digimon, which eventually led to him thinking about TK and staring at Infinity Mountain.

He had no reason to believe TK was okay.

But he hoped it was true.

When Sarai and Tai finally returned it was with an armful of food each.

"Sorry we took so long! I accidentally distracted Frigimon and then got a bit lost in thought," Sarai hastily apologized.

It wasn't a nice thought, but Matt prayed that Sarai wasn't as absentminded as Izzy or worse, whiny like Mimi. So far, she tended to constantly apologize or get lost in her head. He really hoped she wasn't a ditz too. He heard Agumon and Gabumon yelp with surprise as Gaomon finally freed himself from their pile. Gaomon didn't waste anytime in helping Sarai and Tai with the food.

"Alright everyone! It's chow time!" Tai cheered.

Matt had made his way over, but was just as startled as Tai when Gaomon guarded the food pile with a viscous glare.

"Hey! What's the big deal!?" Tai yelped uneasily.

"Gaomon!" Sarai lightly scolded looking confused and nervous.

The blue dog digimon glowered at Tai, Agumon, Gabumon and Matt sternly before speaking.

"We need to equally separate it among us. There's no guarantee when we'd next get to eat but that doesn't mean we should over eat now!" Gaomon lectured.

Matt and Tai blinked with surprise, while Gabumon tilted his head thoughtfully. Agumon was trying to sneakily snag one of the fruits, but Gaomon glared and readily defended against it.

"Aw, but I'm starving!" Agumon huffed.

"Gaomon, it's okay if we gorge a bit now. I've already restocked our supplies and Mojyamon thinks we've got a few more hours before the islands re-connect."

Despite Sarai's reasoning tone, Gaomon still looks skeptical. Matt glances at Tai and sees the poof haired boy is thinking hard. It's Gabumon who speaks next, and his opinion surprises Matt for some reason.

"I think Gaomon's right. You eat way too much Agumon, and if we need to fight, we shouldn't risk you getting a stomach ache."

Agumon sighs and hangs his head but easily agrees and the three digimon begin to divide the food. Sarai looks at Matt and Tai awkwardly and ducks her head apologetically. Matt feels confused as to why, which slowly shifts into irritation. Ever since he first met the girl, she's always looked and acted meek. He frowns and hopes she's not going to slow them down when they go looking for TK.

After eating, Matt distances himself to continue staring at Infinity Mountain. Behind him Tai and Agumon are cracking jokes and doing their best to make Sarai laugh. When he glances at them, Matt can't help but smirk at how silly their acting just for the girls sake. Rather than laugh, Sarai just looks completely confused and awkward.

"… and that's why I learned how to cook," Tai finishes with a wide grin.

Sarai gives a hesitant laugh and compliments him.

"Wow… that's….pretty cool?"

Gaomon looks to Sarai with confusion before loudly asking.

"I don't get it. Is this another game or was he trying to tell a joke again?"

Matt finds himself snickering into his hand at how embarrassingly red Tai turns. He stops laughing immediately and feels horrible. How could he be laughing when TK's probably scared and alone. Matt clenches his fist and glares at the gathered group.

"Matt?" Gabumon calls looking worried.

"What is it?" he bites out shortly.

Gabumon looks sad, and Matt feels bad for a few seconds before he chases it from his mind. He needs to focus on finding TK.

"Don't worry Matt, we'll find him. I'm sure Patamon is protecting him."

Matt doesn't reply, instead he glares into the distance.

Protecting TK is Matt's job, and while he's grateful to Patamon, at the end of the day TK is his responsibility.

Matt refuses to let himself get distracted any more than he already has.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai can't help but smile as she listens to Gaomon, Agumon and Tai argue. The google wearing boy was funnier than she ever would have expected. Unlike Matt, who she was a little more familiar with, Sarai never interacted with Tai back at camp. She'd noticed the boy leading a lot of others when it came to sports or game activities but never had an chance to speak with him herself. She'd always thought he looked kind and seemed like a joker.

She was glad to find she'd been right.

She's so focused on what she was making that she startles badly when Gabumon speaks. The stripped digimon's nose is sniffing close to her bandaged arm and frowning.

"What happened to your arm?"

Sarai quickly notices the slight slump in the digimon's posture. A glance at Matt glaring into the distance quickly clues her in. Rather than call attention to it, she indulges Gabumon's question. She puts on her best smile and hopes it comforts the digimon.

"Ah! I got a bit scratched but thanks to Frigimon, I'm sure it'll be healed in no time."

Gabumon just blinks at her, and Sarai feels as if the digimon doesn't believe her. Before she could question it any further, Gabumon moves on and asks a different question.

"What are you making?" he's loud enough, that it causes Tai, Agumon and Gaomon to join.

Tai is quicker than she anticipated and holds up the half finished bracelet she'd been making.

"Woah? It looks like a huge necklace to me."

Sarai genuinely finds the comment funny and a giggle passes her lips unexpectedly. For whatever reason, both Agumon and Tai give her a strange look. She doesn't think much of it and instead takes back the half finished bracelet to continue.

"Well, it's a bracelet actually. It has to be big for the person I'm making for."

"Who are you making it for?" Agumon questions.

Sarai carefully threads another few nutshells onto the leftover twine. She had to thin the twine a bit to fit the nut shells on, but so far it wasn't looking too bad. At the center, tied in place so it would dangle, was the last cog she'd taken from the factory. It didn't feel right to fight with just one, and well, she needed to thank Frigimon somehow.

"Frigimon has helped us a lot, and well…. I just wanted to give him something to show just how much we appreciated his help. It's not much, but it's something."

Tai blinked a few times before looking down at the bracelet with consideration. He suddenly felt incredibly rude and felt as if his mother was behind him with a disapproving frown. Why hadn't he thought of that!? Once again he found himself feeling like an idiot. Sarai had been the one to point out just how greatly Frigimon was helping them out with the ice road. He wasn't usually this ill mannered, and if his mom had heard she definitely would have told him off.

It shouldn't take Sarai doing things like this for him to remember his manners.

Determined to make up for it, Tai fist pumped the air a little and spoke up.

"Wow! That's a great idea Sarai. Why don't the rest of us help out too!? Agumon and I could find some more things you could add to the bracelet!"

Sarai was a little shocked by the passionate shout and could only nod her head in numb agreement. With a whirl wind of determined energy, Agumon and Tai set about looking for things to add. She soon found herself sweat dropping as the pile the two made grew bigger and bigger. She realized a little too late that the duo had no idea what they were grabbing, just grabbing things.

She opened her mouth to reluctantly point out to Agumon that she couldn't do anything with a rock as she need them to have hole she could thread the twine through. She froze when the dinosaur digimon peered at her with such earnest hope for a sign he was helping.

"This is great Agumon!" she blurted instead.

She suddenly felt as if she was under the spot light and everyone was staring at her. She ignored the sensation and instead focused on the bright ecstatic expression Agumon wore. She picked up the rather flat rocks and considered them briefly. A solution came to mind soon after and she turned to Gabumon watching at her side.

"Gabumon, do you think you could make a hole in a few of these smaller rocks?"

The stripped digimon blinked a few times before happily agreeing and getting to work.

It was odd, but Sarai felt as if she'd passed some sort of test. Either way, she brushed off the feeling and turned back to the bracelet. She picked a few more rocks and passed them over for Gabumon to work on. She pictured how the bracelet looked and continued to work. She heard Gaomon judging Tai for trying to climb a tree to reach something, and found herself smiling again.

Sarai let herself embrace the fact that she'd really did it, caught up with the rest of them.

It was odd, and she struggled at times, unsure what to do with the company she'd found.

But for the first time in a long long while, she wasn't alone anymore.

The warmth she felt at that thought only caused her to smile softly once again.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Tai had been expecting Matt to lose it eventually. The blond boy was much too calm for him not to explode eventually, especially with TK's safety in question. Shore was probably another three hours away when Matt could no longer keep quiet.

"Argh! I'm not waiting anymore. TK needs me and I'm going to find him!" Matt exclaimed.

Tai was quick to grab the other boy before he could dive into the ocean and start swimming. Sure the water was no longer as icy cold, but swimming was still dangerous. Did the Digital world have sharks? Tai had no idea, but he'd taken enough risks and been proven wrong one too many times already.

"Calm down Matt!"

Matt shoved Tai back with a glare before he snapped at him again.

"Don't tell me to calm down! TK is my little brother and he's way more important than sitting around making bracelets like a bunch of babies!"

Tai felt his temper spike once again and grabbed at Matt's shirt threateningly. It was like they were back at the top of the cliff arguing again. Hadn't Tai already shown he understood? Geez Matt was such stupid jerk!

Again, the two boys had seemingly forgotten about the girl in their mists.

Sarai interrupted the brewing fight with a distracted comment as she stared at Infinity Mountain.

"If we swim, I'm not sure how well my bag would hold up. Even if we're all strong enough swimmers, I don't think the digimon would do well in the water. Especially Agumon."

Tai hadn't expected her to say anything, and he definitely didn't think she'd agree with Matt's crazy plan. He narrowed his eyes at her and spoke defensively for Agumon.

"What's that supposed to mean!? Agumon can do anything!" he demanded.

She startled and looked at him hesitantly again but still answered his question despite both boys intense stares.

"Well, Agumon's a fire type isn't he? You know cause of his fire breathing? I-I mean, it makes sense that fire and water don't mix well?"

Matt admittedly didn't think of that, and Tai felt stupid again.

"Doesn't matter, I can do it!" Agumon determined.

This time both Matt, Tai and their digimon were surprised when Gaomon added his own opinion to the mix.

"No, you can't. It's too risky to try anyway. Both Gabumon and I aren't water types either. We'd tire ourselves out before we even make it half way. We can't forget about that evil digimon hunting all of you. We'll need all the strength we can get, which means no wasting energy."

Tai and Matt's eyes widened as they had sort of forgotten about Devimon hunting them. It only made both boys worry and stress even more about TK's safety. Matt glared at Tai challenging and stepped forward to aggressively argue again.

"AND YOU EXPECT ME TO JUST STAY HERE! No way!"

Sarai flinched at the volume, but both boys had started to argue again. She tuned them out in favor of figuring out a solution. She was vaguely aware of Gaomon joining the argument which prompted Agumon to argue as well. The four were getting louder by the second, and it was getting harder and harder to ignore them. Gabumon had started to press closer to her side, and she wasn't sure who he was trying to comfort, her or himself. It was only when she felt the digimon shiver that she clicked.

"Whoa! What's going on here? I hope you guys aren't fighting again!" Frigimon stressed as he joined them with Mojyamon following behind.

"Frigimon! Thank goodness! We need your help," Sarai cried with relief.

Matt, Tai, Agumon, Gabumon and Gaomon stared at her not understanding what she was talking about. Soon enough, Sarai explained that she hoped Frigimon wouldn't mind making another ice road for them to cross. They quickly caught on to the solution she'd figured out and joined her in pleading for the snow digimon's assistance.

"Well sure I'll help. The air is a bit warmer around here so I can't take you myself across like before. I'd need to make sure it stays frozen long enough for you to reach the end. I'm not sure you guys can make it across that fast." The snow digimon worried.

Sarai bit her lip in thought but it was Gaomon who came up with the solution.

"Gabumon and I could digivolve and run it. We're both a lot faster and Greymon isn't really built for riders. We've rested enough and stored enough energy to make it through a fight if we need to."

Tai felt as if everything around him was moving too fast, and he was barely keeping up. Matt felt the same, but was too full of desperate need to find TK to care. All he understood was that Sarai and Gaomon were helping figure out a way to get to TK faster. Gabumon glanced at Agumon and was worried about what the dino digimon was thinking.

Gabumon was certain Gaomon and Sarai weren't intentionally pointing out all the ways Agumon couldn't do something. Still, Agumon would fixate on what they've said. It was also strange for him to hear Gaomon talking strategy with the humans. Since discovering their human partners, they'd fallen into a system where the Human's figure out the battle plan and they fight the physical fight. It was amazing but still a bit strange to see Gaomon contribute so naturally. Although, the expression on Tai and Matt's faces proved they were finding it strange too.

"It's just an idea….w-we don't have to….um…" Sarai cautiously assured.

She had noticed the quiet looks on both of the boys faces. Above all, she spotted the looks Gabumon kept giving Agumon. When Gaomon looked at her with confusion she shook her head and tried to give another smile, but just felt awkward. Why was she such an idiot!? She should have just kept quiet. Sarai worried that she might have offended the two boys by bossily imposing her ideas.

"Why wouldn't we? It's the best idea we have at the moment!?" Gaomon questioned her.

Sarai felt her cheeks burn with humiliation and the voice of her mother started to taunt her again. Gaomon didn't know how to work in a group, and it was her fault for failing to teach him. The both of them blurting out their plans worked well enough between the two of them, but in a group everyone needed a say in the final decision.

"Someone might have a better one Gaomon," she lightly informed.

Her digimon friend looked even more confused and she felt horrible. When she looked to the boys, they wore another strange expression she couldn't make sense off. Never the less, Sarai decided to push forward. She knelt down so she was at the same level as Agumon and Gabumon, focusing on them because they were who mattered most.

"We didn't mean to speak over all of you. Gabumon, you don't have to agree with Gaomon's plan. It was a bit rude of us to assume you'd be okay carrying us across. Also, just because you're not a water type, doesn't mean you might not have a different idea to share Agumon."

Gabumon and Agumon stared at Sarai with complete bewilderment. They felt their jaws drop with shock when Gaomon ducked his head and apologized as well. The two digimon had no idea what to say in response, so they defaulted to what they always did when confused by a human. They looked to their human partners for a clue.

Matt and Tai were just as bewildered as their digimon. Neither boy understood why Sarai and Gaomon had suddenly apologized. They'd both thought her idea to be great and the best for them to carry out. Matt elbowed Tai with a glare, and Tai blurted out the first words in his head. The both of them had never felt so awkward and unsure before in their lives.

"Um, it's okay- NO really! Your idea was way better than Matt's stupid one of swimming across! OW- what was that for!?" Tai yelped.

Matt threateningly held up a fist as he glared at Tai before he addressed everyone.

"Well, the longer we talk the more time we waste. Let's hurry up and go!"

Matt was going to instruct Gabumon to digivolve only to fall silent when Sarai addressed his digimon first. The girl spoke softly but for the first time since he'd met her, sounded completely confident.

"Are you sure you don't mind Gabumon?"

Gabumon gave an eye squinting smile and a cheery thumbs up.

"Of course! Anything for Matt!"

Matt felt his stomach squirm uncomfortably at that declaration, but couldn't ignore the warmth that burst in his chest. Sarai gave a soft laugh and mirrored Gabumon's thumbs up exactly.

They'd almost forgotten about Frigimon and Mojyamon watching them from the sidelines. The giant snow and ice digimon had closely observed the dynamic of the humans and their digimon partners.

"So…. They really are them huh…." Mojyamon huffed.

"I believe they can do it," Frigimion deeply declared causing Mojyamon to laugh.

It wasn't a question of whether these children would succeed. Mojyamon had seen enough and his mind had been made. He'd never been much of a believer in the 'chosen children' legend as Centarumon, Frigimon or that loner Andromon. Now, having met them….. he found his opinion changing. The two giant digimon startled when Tai hurried over to Sarai and began to whisper. The girl brightened and then turned to Frigimon with a earnestly wide smile.

"Frigimon! Wait, we have something for you!"

Mojyamon and Frigimon stared down at the girl with intrigue.

Sarai straightened and motioned to all of them as Tai stood beside her and Matt lingered in the back.

"Tai, Agumon, Gaomon and I would never have made it to Matt and Gabumon without your help. You didn't have to do it-"

"Especially since Gaomon and I had attacked you!" Agumon cut in.

"But you did. And you helped us find food and shelter."

"You cured me of my cold!" Gabumon added with a smile.

"What we are trying to say is our sincere gratitude." Gaomon summed and Sarai stepped forward with a strange looking ring of nutshells and rocks with a cog dangling in the middle.

"It's not much, and we did our best but um…. Here. Back home we call these friendship bracelets. It's a token to symbolize the friendship between people." Sarai explained with a bright smile on her lips.

Frigimon accepted the gift and curiously marveled at it's craft. He then slipped it on his wrist as Matt had instructed before looking up at Tai who next took lead.

"This way you can always remember us even when we go home. We'll even be able to know its you straight away if you never take it off! So from all of us, Frigimon… THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

All three humans and their digimons bowed as they thanked Frigimon in unison. The two giant digimon were stunned and were unsure of how to react. Mojyamon should have expected it though, he should have known the soft snow Digimon would burst into tears. It had a been a long while but Frigimon had always been a crier- not that many knew as his tears froze before they could fall.

As they all celebrated, Mojyamon stood a few ways back. He was happy for his friend, but did not feel as if he had the right to join. Not when he had only met these children by attempting to destroy them- brainwashed or not. He'd not really done anything for them either.

"Ah! Mojyamon?"

He startled and found himself looking down at the girl human again. She looked hesitant and wary as she eyed the others before holding out her hand in a bow. He took her offering and wondered at the rock dyed with berry juice she'd given. With a bit of silent prompting, she explained herself.

"It didn't feel right not to give you anything. I know we haven't known each other long but um- I just wanted to give you something too."

Mojyamon inwardly scoffed as he realized it was just a pity gift, but decided to humor the child anyway.

"What is it supposed to be?"

A dark look overcame the girls face and Mojyamon froze as he felt a dark aura pulsate from the girls arm.

"It's not a real one, but I-I hope maybe the gods would bless it anyway. It's a good luck charm to chase away any bad feelings."

She clenched her fists and Mojyamon felt his heart ache as he understood why the girl had truly given him a gift.

"You have a very caring heart….. do not let evil tell you otherwise."

Sarai surprises him by hugging his leg tightly, but Mojyamon is not monster enough not to return the action. She does not cry but her mother's voice is quiet in her head and so she smiles into the hairy digimon's embrace.

Frigimon creates the ice road, and the two giant digimon watch the children and their partners race across. They stand there long after they become figures in the distance.

"Are you crying Mojyamon?" Frigimon exclaims in surprise.

Mojyamon yells his denial and he stomps back to his cave. In his large hand the berry dyed rock seems tiny but he smiles at it anyway. He had not been wrong. A dark evil had touched the girl, festering as it attempts to poison its way to her heart.

But Mojyamon has faith in the girls ability to fight it.

He has hope that one day the evil would be defeated.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai tightened her grip around Agumon's waist as she watched Garurumon and Matt ahead of them. She understood Matt's desperation but worried over Garurumon's energy levels. She couldn't forget about the Demon digimon and the evil it oozed. She couldn't forget how it planned to  **kill**  them.

If Garurumon's earlier declaration was any clue, she believed the digimon would push himself pass his limits. What worried her, was whether he'd tell them if his energy was dwindling or not.

"Agumon, how are you feeling?" She asked.

The orange digimon looked up at her with confusion.

"Huh? I feel fine why?"

Sarai bit her lip before she explained her thought process.

"Matt's pushing Garurumon pretty hard, which is both good and bad. I think we should consider taking a break after we make it across."

Sarai felt the arms around her waist tighten and she tried not to jerk out of the hold. She'd completely forgotten about Tai riding behind her. Or perhaps its more accurate to say she'd forced herself to forget the awkwardness of having someone so close. Other than her dad, and the digimon, Sarai wasn't used to physical contact.

"Good luck trying to tell Matt that!" Tai glowered in her ear.

She felt her stomach squirm uncomfortably and her ears grew hot. She really wasn't too fond of someone else in her personal space, but whatever. There were more important things to focus on than the boy at her back.

"He's worried about TK, I don't blame him for rushing," she reasoned.

Tai frowned as he stared at Matt and Garurumon's backs.

"It's not that! I totally get it but Matt's not thinking things through. He never really does when it comes to TK."

Matt was usually the one in their group who thought up ideas. Joe was their caution, Sora would boost their confidence, Mimi would highlight their problems and Izzy was their logic. It's thanks to that Tai was always able to make the tough choices and take lead. However, Matt became really reckless when it came to TK.

"If he pushes Garurumon hard now, and Devimon ambushes us again, we're totally at a disadvantage," he lowly mused.

Sarai bit her lip and combed her fingers through Gaogamon's fur. They didn't have much choice but to follow after Matt and do their best.

"We'll just have to make it work."

Tai sighed but nodded in agreement.

It wasn't a plan- not a good one at least, but that's all they could do. It's all they'd been doing since they'd arrived.

Hopefully luck was on their side.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

They made it across, but just as Tai and Sarai dreaded, Matt had pushed onward rather than break.

"Does he even know where he's going!?" Tai complained.

Sarai jumped down from Gaogomon's back and stood beside Tai with a frown.

"Garurumon knows," Agumon assured.

Before Tai could ask how, Sarai was reaching into her bag and equally divided the berries. Tai wanted to exclaim over how this was no time to be snacking, but Sarai spoke up before he could.

"Here Gaogomon! Rest up for a bit, okay."

Sarai absently handed Agumon and Tai some berries as well, before combing her fingers through Gaogomon's fur. The large dog digimon relaxed to her touch and caught his breath from the long run.

"Wow….." Agumon marveled as he shoveled his share of berries into his mouth.

Tai could only blink in agreement. It was very obvious to the both of them that the two deeply cared for one another. Tai watched as Sarai fussed and checked over Gaogomon's paws, asking if they ached and offering water. Gaogomon was strangely quieter compared to Gaomon, but his eyes and the air around him heavily expressed how pleased he felt.

"He's acting like a huge cat!" Tai snickered.

"What's a cat?" Agumon questioned.

Tai chose not to answer and ate his berries as well. His eyes widened in surprise at the burst of juice but lack of sweetness. It was like a water balloon burst in his mouth while the skin of the berry was chewy like gum.

"What kind of berries are these?" Tai questioned in shock.

"Oh! These are river berries! They only grow in the colder areas of the digital world." Agumon informed.

"Frigimon said the juice is basically water but the skin of the berry is good to chew for nutrients," Sarai added.

Tai blinked as he had no idea of how different the food in the digital world really was. Sure, they'd come across some weird things but he'd not expected them to have uses. Tai realized a few seconds later that Sarai had fed them to Gaogomon to restore his energy as it would work as both food and water. He stared at the girl and wondered if this is how she'd managed to survive on her own.

"Here Agumon, you should eat more of this."

"No. Save it for Garurumon. I sense something bad is happening!" Gaogomon suddenly spoke.

Tai immediately pocketed the berries, while Sarai climbed onto Gaogomon's back. Both Agumon and Gaogomon were facing a certain direction, almost as if they were listening for something. Regardless, they'd rested long enough and now it was Agumon's turn to digivolve.

"Agumon it's time for you to digivolve! Sarai, you and Gaogomon should hurry ahead in case Matt needs your help!"

Sarai nodded and both she and Gaogomon hurried ahead after telling the two to be careful. Soon enough, Greymon gave a roar and stretched down to carry Tai.

Together, Greymon followed the pull that told him where Garurumon and Patamon were located.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Episodes Covered: S1ep10, S1ep11, S1ep12]


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 15,719 words LONG! And it's literally ONE episode!
> 
> I really didn't want to split the chapter again, and ALOT happens in this chapter.
> 
> You could say it really packs a PUNCH...
> 
> Lol.
> 
> I've given up on the Dub version of the show when it comes to Dialogue. It really doesn't fit the vibe of the characters dynamics in this story. So from here on out, I'm only following the Jap eng sub dialogue and just using the Dub for happier character study.
> 
> Please leave a comment or review. I like hearing from you all, and after this chapter...i feel like i really need some feedback. I'm unsure of whether things are fleshing out decently or not. My sister is kind of my beta reader and well...lets just say she has opinions.
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> Enjoy :)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: ANY AND ALL RECOGNIZABLE DIALOGUE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME.

**Chapter 7: Black is just a shade- not a Mood [part 2].**

-  _She terrified them. She was a reminder of their deepest fears and darkest truth of their situation._

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai heard the sound of Garurumon roaring out his attack and Matt's cry of TK's name. Her mind immediately thought the worst and she didn't need to say anything for Gaogamon to increase his run. They came to a stop just on the fringes of where Leomon and Garurumon could be seen battling each other.

She quickly scanned the area for Matt and TK and was relieved to see them a fair distance away. Greymon approached quickly from behind and Tai jumped down from Greymon's carry.

"Where's Ogremon!? I bet you anything that guy is around here somewhere!" Tai hurriedly questioned through gritted teeth.

Sarai spotted the green Digimon and held back a gasp at spotting a white crying creature in it's large hands.

"There! He's holding something captive!" she pointed.

Greymon and Gaogamon growled lowly in their throats with their fangs glinting meanly in the light.

"Tai! He's holding a baby digimon captive!" Greymon snarled.

Sarai felt Gaogamon tremble beneath her and could hear the rumbling rage in his words when he further elaborated on where they were.

"This is Primary Village! This is where all the baby digimon hatch and are born!"

If Sarai or Tai- anyone really, had looked at the large blue dog digimon, they would have seen his eyes flash red. Despite not knowing this, Sarai did her best to comfort her digimon partner and combed her fingers through his fur soothingly. The injury on her arm briefly pulsed with ache but the numbing paste Frigimon and she'd made, worked at keeping it bearable.

It didn't stop the dark taunting of her mother in her head.

Sarai heard Garurumon and Leomon attack each other, and a quick plan formed in her head.

"We need to rescue that digimon!" Tai determined.

She agreed, but had spotted the other cowering baby digimon attempting to hide.

"Gaogamon and I will heard the rest of the babies to safety and protect them."

The two gave nods of agreement before turning to do as they'd planned. Before he could get too far Sarai called his and Greymon's names with worry in her eyes.

"Be careful okay."

Tai grinned and gave a thumbs up while Greymon sharply smiled.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

It was easy to sneak up on Ogremon and literally take the baby digimon from his hand. Tai cradled the frightened baby in his arm carefully. Before Ogremon could ready an attack on him, Greymon blasted at him with a fireball. As the two digimon began to fight, Tai hurried to where Sarai was waiting. He carefully passed the baby digimon over and spared a few moments to watch Sarai try and calm the little thing down.

"Sh…. It's okay… you're safe now…." She soothed.

"Where are the rest?" Tai questioned, not seeing Gaogamon anywhere near.

Sarai was bouncing the digimon and pointed to the deeper parts of primary village.

"We've gathered all of them in the center and Gaogamon's standing guard."

Tai slumped with relief and the baby digimon in her arms had finally stopped crying and was now just whimpering. They heard a loud grunt of pain and looked over to the two pairs of dueling digimon.

"Garurumon is slowing down!" Sarai observed with worry.

Tai dug into his pockets and found the berries from earlier. He heard Greymon yelp but was relieved to find the dinosaur digimon recovered quickly. He spotted Matt standing protectively in front of TK and Patamon.

If he ran it carefully, he could pass Matt the berries.

Before he could explain his plan to Sarai, she gave a sharp grunt of pain and clutched at her arm.

"What? What's wrong!?" He questioned.

"Nothing, just moved my arm weird!" she quickly explained with a shake of her head.

Tai suddenly remembered that Sarai had injured herself. Gah! How could he forget!? A swarm of black gears flew down out of no where and wedged themselves into Leomon's back. The lion digimon's roar hurt to hear, but they could do nothing but watch with horror as the digimon grew larger and a sickly pale grey color.

"RUN GARURUMON!" Matt shouted

The wolf digimon was too slow and Leomon's attack slammed into him. The force of the attack sent Garurumon careening towards the cliffs and a few rock chunks fell on top of the unconscious digimon.

Tai turned to Sarai and saw how terrified she was. He gave her the sternest expression he could possibly make- short of glaring at her- and told her to go back to Gaogamon. To his relief she didn't argue, just looked worried and hesitant.

"We'll be fine! Just look after the other baby digimon, okay. Leave this to Us!" He assured.

He kept his reassuring smile on until she was out of sight. Only then did he recklessly run into the throes of the battle. Tai had only just made it to Matt when Leomon had turned his attention to Greymon.

"MATT! Feed Garurumon this!" Tai shouted before shoving the berries into Matt's hands.

He didn't have time to waste as seconds after he heard Greymon roar and go flying back into a bunch of Primary Villages' toy buildings. As Tai raced to check on Greymon, Matt ran to Garurumon's side. The two boys so worried about their digimon partners, they'd mistakenly left Patamon and TK open.

Leomon turned to the youngest digidestined with a blank expression and empty white eyes.

"The smallest child….Kill him…" Leomon droned.

TK was frozen stiff with fear, he couldn't move and felt his heart pound wildly in his chest. Leomon was slowly making his way closer but he just couldn't move. Fear and terror filled him completely and he heard Matt screaming for him to run.

He tried.

He's trying but he's too scared.

"BIIIG BROTHER!" TK cried his eyes spilling with tears as he did.

Hopeless.

Tai and Matt felt hopeless as they watched Leomon get closer to TK.

Patamon took to the air and blasted at Leomon with his air shot. No matter how many times the little digimon attacked, Leomon just kept getting closer. Then all hope seemed to die as Leomon easily caught Pataomon in his large hand. TK could barely see pass the blur of his building tears as Patamon attempted to squirm free.

"PATAMON!" TK cried.

Then, as if to answer their desperate prayers, a Green cactus like digimon dropped from the skies and knocked Leomon down.

"TOGEMON!?" Matt cried out in relief.

Patamon felt weak and dizzy as he struggled to get to his feet. Luckily, TK was by his side immediately.

"Patamon! Patamon! Hang in there, Patamon! PATAMON!?"

"TK…. I have to….protect you…." Patamon weakly groaned.

"TAI!" Izzy called as he and Mimi descended from the skies on Kabuterimon's back.

Just like that, a spark of something came to life within the children. Izzy didn't waste time with pleasantries, he quickly explained what using the digivices would do against Leomon. Matt and Garurumon were guarding TK protectively against the rising Leomon. With the help of the berries, Garurumon felt a little more energetic and readied another blast in his throat.

"LEOMON!" Tai called out.

All eyes turned to the google wearing boy who walked his way toward the large lion digimon. Matt stared at Tai with wide eyes full of panic and confusion. Just what did Tai think he was doing!? Greymon struggled to stay on the sidelines as he watched his human bravely face Leomon.

"You're after us, right?... Well try and catch us!" Tai baited.

"Chosen Children…. Kill them…" Leomon droned before readying to strike Tai.

"NOW!" Tai quickly held up his device and a bright light burst from it.

Matt, despite not really knowing why, easily joined and the both of them stood their ground against Leomon. The screams Leomon released shook the grounds and trees, it caused the winds to rush and the sky to lighten. From his back with sickening squelching sounds, the black gears were pushed out of his body. A few black and red shadows danced about the Lion digimon before flying away.

At the center of Primary Village, Sarai clutched at her arm and did her best to swallow the muffled scream that clawed to escape her lips. Gaogamon's eyes burned red and a single black shadow seeped into the large blue dog digimon. Sarai fell back in a sweaty heap with tears in her eyes as her arm began to bleed through its wrapping. The baby digimon gave loud cries of terrified fear and worry for the human and Gaogamon. It's not till a few of the baby digimon bounced and cried fat droplets by Sarai's face, that she opened her eyes.

"Sh….it's okay…..I'm okay…. You're safe… everything is going to be okay…." She soothed, pushing pass her own condition to care for the wailing baby digimon. In her haste to tend to them, she missed how her words pierced through the red haze Gaogamon had fallen into.

"Sarai?" Gaogamon softly called feeling strange…different….. wrong….

She looked up at him and gave that same stupid smile her Papa would give.

Something was very wrong with the both of them.

The wailing baby digimon broke the stare between the two and in silent mutual agreement, they tended to the baby digimon.

There was something wrong with them….. but it could wait.

The baby digimon needed them and they couldn't give them reason to worry.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"Everything's okay now!" TK happily announced as Leomon blinked about with tired confusion.

While the children and their digimon partners celebrated their win, Ogremon quickly ran away.

"MATT!" TK cried out with happy relief.

He raced as quickly as he could into the arms of his older brother. Matt clutched at TK just as desperately. It had only been a day and a bit but the brothers had been separated way too often. Never knowing when they'd next be able to see each other. The other children were kind and understanding enough not to stare at the uniting brothers.

Instead, Tai and Izzy struck a conversation with Leomon, filling the lion digimon on what had happened since they last saw him. While the humans talked, their digimon partners (having returned to their child forms) gathered around the youngest hatch mate among them.

"That was very brave of you, Patamon. Rushing to protect TK like you did." Tentomon lowly complimented.

While his words were kind and praising, the tone he used implied a scolding. Patamon sheepishly looked at the ground, avoiding looking at the others. Tentomon had always had a way of praising and scolding someone through the use of words alone. None of the digimon knew or understood just how talented he was at it, besides Patamon.

"TK needed me!" Patamon defended.

Tentomon said nothing but something in his eyes softened when Patamon continued to speak.

"Besides…. I haven't evolved yet…."

Gabumon stepped close to Patamon and comforted him with a short hug.

"I'm sure you will soon…." He comforted, and Patamon snuggled into the hug.

Agumon felt his chest ease a little. He was relieved to find more than half his hatch mates safe and together. When he looked for Palmon, he spotted her watching Mimi with worried eyes.

"Palmon? What is it?" Agumon asked.

"Mimi. She's looking for that other human…." Palmon explained.

All the digimon watched the pink clad girl. She looked…oddly… restless? Frantic, one might say. She was wringing her hands and looking all about the place as if trying to spot something. Tentomon added to Palmon's words as they watched Mimi's lips twist into a tight frown. An obvious tell that the girl was going to fall into a tantrum soon.

"Ever since that night, when she saw that other human girl, she and Izzy haven't been the most relaxed."

Palmon thought that was a bit of an understatement but knew better than to say anything. She knew if she mentioned the fight Mimi and Izzy had, it'd just bother Agumon and Tentomon would be under close watch by the others. While he wasn't the youngest of them, Tentomon was their most sensitive. They all had a bit of cruel streak... a side of themselves they discovered on days they'd gotten too impatient with the waiting. Despite all the apologies after everything, it was Tentomon who took the longest to assure and convince they'd been sincerely sorry.

Agumon blinked a few times with confusion before he made his way to where Mimi was. On his way, Mimi seemed to finally have enough and she burst out with a loud shriek.

"Alright! Where is she!?" she snapped.

The boys startled and Leomon winced at her volume, but Mimi didn't care. Her eyes were wide with demand- but if one thought to look closer there was also fear.

"Geez, Mimi! What are you yelling for!?" Tai complained as he rubbed at his ears.

"Don't you 'Mimi' me! Where is Sarai!? I saw her! I know I saw her that night! So where is she!? Why isn't she HERE!?" Mimi demanded getting more hysterical by the second.

Tai opened his mouth to answer but Izzy spoke before he could.

"I told you Mimi she's-"

"And I told you that I won't believe it till I see her myself!" Mimi cut in with a fierce glare.

Tai warily stepped away from the two. Izzy was staring up at Mimi with a deceptively calm expression- one Tai's only seen once before. It was the look the red headed boy had given the camp leader who tried to force him to put away his computer by confiscating it. While Tai didn't know Mimi very well, he had a mother and the look Mimi was wearing was very similar to the one his mother wore before she tore him a new one.

"Hey! Cut it out you two." Matt glared as he cut in.

The tension was still in the air but no longer as intense. Matt held TK a little closer and subtly covered his ears just a little. It had been getting a little too similar to their parents fighting, and after everything, Matt knew he was feeling a little edgy.

Still, Mimi did ask a good question.

Matt hadn't seen Sarai during the fight and he wondered just where she ran off. A mean thought briefly flitted across his mind and he wondered if she abandoned them. He chased it away but couldn't forget the brief second of justification he felt. Again, the guilt ate at him for wanting her to do something horrible to justify his idea of leaving her behind.

"Aw, Don't worry about Sarai Mimi!" Agumon piped up with an innocent smile.

The children looked to the dinosaur digimon who was practically grinning.

"Tai and I had her and Gaogamon protect the baby digimon in case Ogremon tried to hurt them."

All eyes looked to the village, and when Mimi took a step to go towards it, Tai stopped her. She looked at him with irritation but he tried to show he meant no harm.

"I think it would be better if I went and told her everything was okay. Uh- just you know….just in case she set up a trap or something."

Mimi, Izzy, TK and their digimon who had yet to meet Sarai looked confused. Matt scoffed out a short laugh but agreed with Tai completely.

"He's right. So far, Sarai's proven to be nothing but over prepared." Matt explained while Tai ran off with Agumon at his side.

If he sounded just a little sarcastic, well that was completely unintentional.

"But isn't that a good thing?" Tentomon questioned.

"Uh Huh. Sarai was the one who told me all the proper things you needed to pack when exploring." TK piped in, stepping away from Matt now that the tension had eased.

"How is she really?" Izzy lowly asked as TK was distracted with telling the digimon of how he met Sarai.

Mimi and Izzy both were looking at Matt with imploring eyes and he fidgeted under the weight of their stare. Matt's stomach churned with unease before he answered.

"She's fine. Completely fine."

Despite his words…..both Mimi and Izzy had a feeling that wasn't completely true. Or perhaps…. It was the fact they didn't want it to be true- as horrible as that may be.

Because if Sarai was completely fine….How could they tell her they left her behind?

How could they face her?

At least…..and this truly was a horrible thought….. but if she was injured they could have argued she would have slowed them down.

How terrible is that?

"HEY! LOOK HERE!" Tai cried out.

All eyes turned to where he happily waved with his arms full of happy cheering digimon. At his side Agumon was suffering the same predicament. But it was not Tai and Agumon everyone stared at. Instead, all eyes were on the giant blue dog Digimon that had his back and head carrying another load of digimon. Until finally, all eyes landed on the hoodie wearing girl with a strange leaf bag looped around her.

Sarai smiled widely and the digimon baby she cradled squirmed excitedly.

Mimi had frozen, but when Sarai lifted a single hand with a shy sort of awkward wave, the pink clad girl moved. Mimi ran the distance, her eyes filling with tears and her hat fell from her head. Sarai quickly passed Tai the baby digimon and barely managed to brace herself for the force of Mimi's embrace.

The force so great, Sarai stumbled back and found herself with an armful of a wailing Mimi.

"SAAAARAAAAAI!" she wailed to the skies with wet tears streaming like waterfalls down her cheeks.

Leomon had yet to move from where he'd been freed. The children and their digimon had seemed to briefly forget about him. It was the perfect time for him to consider each and everyone of them. What he'd seen so far both worried and pleased him. Leomon was an old digimon, but there is another reason as to why Devimon had chosen to enslave him. Leomon had been gifted the ability to sense the energy of those around him. He knew with certainty that these children were the chosen ones.

But…..

He stared at the child being smothered by the pink clad one.

That child…. If she is here…. Then it could only mean…..

He stared at the children around him and desperately hoped they would be enough.

For if that child has joined them, it could only mean the evil they need to defeat is stronger than they'd first believed.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

When Tai and Agumon had come to tell them they'd won, Sarai had barely just shrugged her hoodie back on. She fiddled with her zipper, feeling paranoid and incredibly conscious of her arm. Would it bleed through both the bandage and the sleeve? Could Agumon smell her blood?

"Mimi is really looking forward to seeing you," Tai explained as he started to push for them to hurry.

She spared a few seconds to show just how confused she was about that. Sure, she and Mimi were room mates back at camp, and they were friendly; but why would she be excited to see her? Mimi and Sora- was her name Sora? Or is she remembering wrong?- were definitely friends, Sarai thought she and Mimi were more acquaintances.

Tai moved to tug her along but both of them were surprised when one of the baby digimon jumped and snapped at Tai's hand.

"GAH! Hey! What's the big idea!?" he scowled.

It was only then, they realized the weird situation they were in.

The baby digimon had all gathered around Sarai and Gaogamon, looking both possessive and well a tiny bit protective. Agumon and Tai could only blink with confusion and look to Sarai and Gaogamon for answers.

"NO! You can't have them! They protected us so now were going to protect them!" one of them declared.

All of the baby digimon started to pipe up with the same thing. Sarai could only stand still with rising panic and behind her Gaogamon began to shift uncomfortably. They should have known better than to expect the baby digimon not to notice their brief episode.

Tai and Agumon both had different reactions and thoughts to the baby digimon's sudden hostility.

Tai wondered what could have made the baby digimon say such a thing. Why would they think Sarai and Gaogamon would need protection from him and Agumon? Why?...Unless… did Sarai tell them? Did she tell them about how they left her behind- abandoned her? Did she think they would do it again after the fight, and told the baby digimon everything as she waited?

Agumon, however, was staring at Gaogamon. There was something about his hatch mate that made his stomach twist. Outwardly, nothing seemed wrong but…. Agumon felt as if he was Koromon again. He felt just like he did the day Wanyamon left and everyone knew but him. He stared at Gaogamon and wondered… Did his hatch mate not trust him at all?

"It's okay!" Agumon piped up with a easy going smile.

Sarai, Gaogamon and Tai looked at him with differing expressions. Sarai and Gaogamon had panic in their eyes while Tai just looked confused. Agumon stood before the hostile baby digimon and explained.

"Tai and Sarai are good friends, so are Gaogamon and me! It's okay to let them come with us!"

The baby digimon whispered among themselves till one curious little one spoke up innocently.

"What are 'good friends'?"

Tai and Sarai seemed to have fallen silent as Gaogamon stared at Agumon who easily answered.

"Good friends protect each other, and tell each other everything. If you have a good friend you can trust them with everything!"

The baby digimon ooh'd and ah'd at the explanation while Tai's smile widened into a grin.

"Is that what the humans are to you? Good Friends?" another questioned.

"Pfft! Good? Agumon and I are BEST FRIEND's!" Tai corrected with a laugh.

Agumon felt something in his chest burst with warmth and he smiled up at Tai. The baby digimon eventually agreed to let Sarai and Gaogamon go with them, but insisted they wanted to come to meet these other 'good friends' too. Sarai was oddly quiet and her digimon partner mirrored her entirely.

"Did you mean it?" she whispered to Tai.

Tai shuffled awkwardly on his feet, the guilt of leaving her behind still haunting him on the edges of his thoughts. The air between them grew heavy briefly but he answered her as honestly as he could.

"We never got to know you before all this. None of us really knew each other to be honest. If the rest of us could get along, I don't see why it won't be the same with you."

Sarai looked at Tai with a soft smile, one he's not seen her give to anyone but the digimon. He blinked at the obvious difference and lack of awkwardness it had.

"Thank you…" she softly said before picking up one of the baby digimon whining for attention.

Tai felt his heart lighten but his thoughts remained heavy with guilty thoughts reminding him that he didn't deserve to be thanked. Not after he left her behind. Being a good friend will never make up for leaving her behind to possibly die.

Gaogamon seemed to actively avoid looking at Agumon after that, but the dinosaur digimon didn't push. It had been a long time and Agumon had long understood that his hatch mate is nothing like he used to be or what he imagined.

It would take time….. but both Tai and Agumon were positive they were patient enough.

Eventually, they'd prove it to both Sarai and Gaogamon that they could trust in them.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Is this what it felt like to have good friends?

Sarai couldn't hold back the tears that started to form in her own eyes. Mimi was squeezing her tightly- so tight her arm was definitely screaming for her to push the pink loving girl off. Mimi's wailing sobs were also very loud in her ears but Sarai didn't want to push the girl off. She didn't want to be free of the giant burst of warmth and affection she felt surging through her.

Sarai couldn't remember the last time she'd felt a human cling to her so desperately.

She couldn't remember the last time a human had cried so sincerely for her.

Sarai couldn't even remember a time her Papa had cried for her like Mimi currently is.

She felt like she mattered in this moment.

She felt wanted and that was enough to make her want to cry too.

"Y-You're Alive! You're H-He-here!" Mimi managed to sob out through her tears.

Mimi finally pulled back enough for Sarai to push up from the ground. Sarai found herself with a lap full of crying Mimi and compared to Wanyamon and Gaomon, that was a huge difference. She could already feel her legs growing numb, but Sarai was too lost to the feeling of being wanted, she didn't care.

Sarai smiled so wide, her eyes squinted as she gently wiped at Mimi's cheeks with her sleeves.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch you," Sarai apologized.

Mimi and Joe's terrified eyes as they fell were never forgotten. It had been that desperate terror reaching for her that haunted and pushed her forward to reach them. Sarai never let herself linger on the memory of her name being screamed by Joe, or Mimi's out reaching hand. Now, with Mimi staring up at her, Sarai was determined never to see such a thing again.

"What are you talking about!?" Mimi wetly huffed before her face screwed up and she clung to Sarai all over again.

Sarai laughed lightly at the reaction before she just let the girl cry it out. As she peered pass Mimi's shoulder she spotted the others watching and felt only the tiniest bit of embarrassment. She briefly thought it was strange that Matt, Tai and Izzy were looking weird, but didn't have time to linger as TK caught her eye.

The eight year old boy was clutching a weird orange and white creature and staring at her with wide eyes and a trembling lip.

Sarai felt the warmth in her chest grow bigger and figured…. Well…. She already has one crying person, why not make it two. She gave a small motion with her head and opened her arms and TK hurried over. He didn't cry out and wail like Mimi, but he cuddled and hugged just as tightly.

"You found us!" TK happily cheered with a laugh.

Mimi pulled back; wiping at her own tears but never once letting go of Sarai's hand. TK had burrowed under her other one and hugged the creature in his arms just as close. Sarai didn't get how or why Mimi and TK would be so excited to see her. Not when they weren't exactly close back at camp.

But it felt good and she wished the feeling would last.

She didn't even feel the ache of her arm anymore or hear her mothers voice in her head.

"Is this her TK?" Patamon asked.

Sarai blinked at the little thing and found herself smiling.

"Ah! That's right! Sarai this is Patamon, he's my digimon partner and my best friend!"

Sarai pretended to look surprised while she inwardly confirmed her theory of them all having digimon partners. TK took it upon himself to point out the names of Mimi and Izzy's digimon and then continued to detail how they all met their partners.

"Ah! That's right! What about you Sarai? What's your digimon called?" Mimi suddenly asked.

Gaogamon looked up from where he'd laid down. He was the only one yet to digivolve back to his child form. Instead, he looked to be letting the baby digimon jump on his back and play with his shoulder scarves.

"That's Gaogamon," Sarai introduced with a very affectionate smile.

"Wow does he always look like this!?" TK marveled as he moved closer.

Sarai gave an awkward laugh before she sheepishly admitted her next words.

"Uh, I actually don't know how it works. Sometimes he's like this and other times he's-"

There was a quick flash of light and in place of Gaogamon, was Gaomon. TK, Patamon and Mimi gaped with wide eyed amazement at the quick shift. A few ways away, where they were pretending not to be closely eaves dropping, the others also gaped with surprise. The only ones who seemed used to this were Sarai and Gaomon.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Gaomon and Sarai is my best friend!"

Patamon squirmed free and happily flapped to hover in the air.

"Really! That's great! I'm Patamon and this is my best friend TK!"

"Hi! Nice to meet you Gaomon," TK greeted.

As TK, Patamon and Mimi got caught up with talking with Gaomon, Sarai looked over to the others. She worried when she couldn't find Leomon, and the boys had their heads together and looked to be discussing something serious. The other digimon had also grouped closely and looked to be happily playing with the babies and talking.

Sarai moved to go to the boys, but startled at the tight grip Mimi had on her hand.

"Where are you going?" Mimi all but demanded.

Sarai suddenly felt a little wary at the tone Mimi used. She only relaxed when she noticed the literal wet shine of fear in Mimi's honey brown eyes. Sarai suddenly had a flashback to the nights Mimi would wake her up with her constant shifting. Though the younger never said anything, Sarai knew it would be because of nightmares. She always knew as Mimi's eyes were just way too expressive not to notice.

It's for that reason, rather than try to free herself, Sarai gives a soft smile and explains.

"Just wanted to ask the boys something,"

Mimi nods and rises and follows along, never once loosening her grip on Sarai's hand. Sarai suddenly is reminded that despite the confidence and loud personality, Mimi was only 10, a year younger than herself. Briefly, a threatening thought starts to form- a memory of what she'd experienced and felt at 10 but she forcefully shoved the thought away.

If she tightened her grip on Mimi in return… only Mimi would know.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"Did either of you know they were this close?" Tai mumbled as they watched Mimi, Sarai and TK.

Izzy was unnervingly silent….so silent if Tai didn't hear the tapping of his keyboard, he would have thought the boy wasn't even there. Matt was the one to answer, but his tone was just a bit too quick and his words a bit too defensively spoken.

"TK makes friends with everything."

But neither boy can find it in themselves to look away from the reunited girls. Or more specifically, the way Mimi refuses to let go of Sarai. They all knew Joe and Mimi had been the most affected by the decision to leave, but they hadn't known just how badly. Izzy gritted his teeth as his typing became a little harsher on his keyboard.

"According to everything I managed to decipher, these devices are called Digivices or Holy Devices."

It was very obvious that Izzy was changing the topic. Above all else, it was very obvious there was hostile tension between Izzy and Mimi. Matt and Tai shared a glance, silently questioning if they should address it or allow the red haired boy to continue deflecting. In the end, Tai decided to address it.

"What happened with you and Mimi?" Tai asked.

Izzy doesn't look up at the question, just types harder.

"I've told you already. Our beds crashed close to each other, and we discovered an ancient digimon temple. There was a Centarumon being controlled by a black gear and-"

Tai interrupts firmly and folds his arms in front of Izzy.

"Izzy, you know exactly what I mean."

The computer genius purses his lips tightly and his fingers curl. He's finally stopped typing and when he looks up at Matt and Tai, he's met with stubborn expressions. Its annoying, having them look down at him like that. He can tell their expecting an answer and there is no escaping it.

But Izzy is feeling stressed- wrung out and filled with too many confusing emotions.

He doesn't know what to do with them.

And that- it's… He really doesn't like it.

"Mimi has thoroughly expressed just how…..worried…. she's been for Sarai since she saw her come to our rescue. It has been…exhausting…..I suppose one might say."

Matt and Tai share another glance with concern. They'd come to understand that Izzy sometimes struggled if he didn't get a moment to himself. Tai had learnt to read the red haired boys moods, always knowing when to back off. Matt had always been more aware of such things, especially after everything with his parents. Sora and Joe were handy in distracting Mimi when she'd be just a little too much for Izzy. It was also easier with Tentomon constantly by Izzy's side as the bug digimon would interfere or distract everyone away for a bit.

If Mimi and Izzy were stuck together alone for a day and a half…..well….. Tai's just amazed they didn't kill each other.

"Where did Leomon go?" Sarai asked.

Matt and Tai, none too subtly, jump with surprise at her presence. None of them had even heard her approach with Mimi tightly holding her had and following behind. Izzy literally turns away and goes back to his computer. Tai catches sight of the irritated glare Mimi sends towards Izzy, and quickly answers.

"He said something about grabbing everyone something to eat."

Sarai just nods looking thoughtful, while the rest of them shift uncomfortably. She doesn't seem to notice the rising tension building between Mimi and Izzy. The longer the red haired boy seems to ignore the glaring pink wearing girl, the greater the tension grows.

"Well, the Village is a good place to rest for the night. Does anyone know anything about the other two?" Sarai continued as she watched Gaomon, Patamon and TK play a game of tag with the babies.

"We haven't seen Joe and Sora, but they probably had the same idea and would be making their way to Infinity Mountain." Matt informed.

Sarai nodded then addressed all of them with a hard thinking expression.

"We'll need to eat before making our way. I don't like that Ogremon is somewhere out there….. Who knows what Devimon will do next."

They all look solemnly up at the mountain, none of them liking the uneasy feeling in their stomachs. When Mimi finally lets go of Sarai's hand, she does it with a loud huff and a glare directed at Izzy's stiff back. Tai, Matt and Sarai startle at the sound when she follows it with a sugary tone that drips with accusation.

"And what are  _you_  doing Izzy?"

Izzy doesn't stop typing.

"What's so important  _now_  on that computer of yours?"

Izzy still doesn't answer which causes Matt and Tai to sweat nervously.

"Aren't you being rude! You haven't even greeted Sarai!" Mimi snapped.

She's loud enough that the digimon and TK have turned their heads in their direction. Tentomon immediately starts to fly over while Palmon lets out a soft and sad 'Oh no'.

But Izzy still hasn't stopped typing.

"Leave it alone Mimi!" Matt warns but Mimi glares at him viciously.

Her eyes are bright with accusation, filled with anger in their depths. It causes Matt to falter and Tai steps forward trying to gently temper the pink clad girl best he can. In the end, its Sarai who eases the tension.

"Oh! That reminds me! Hey Izzy….."

Izzy stops typing but he doesn't turn around. Instead, Sarai makes her way to stand before the red haired boy and after a bit of rummaging she pulls out a collection of berries and nuts. Izzy and the others just stare at her confused as to what she was doing.

"I figured you could add these to your list."

"My list?" Izzy questioned.

Sarai nodded and then reached into her bag for a few other things, until eventually she'd emptied it.

"I met a Frigimon who taught me a few things about the food here! Apparently the strange weather also messes with the vegetation and groups. The fruits, herbs and any crops are completely backwards."

Sarai begins to explain what each item in her bag was called and how Frigimon said they grew. The conversation was very casual, and the hard thinking expression Sarai wore was distracting. Even Mimi, Matt and Tai started to get caught up in everything she'd learned from Frigimon.

But it was Izzy who was the most invested.

"Prodigius! Completely nonsensical, but it works! You should definitely tell Joe about the numbing components of that herb. What did you say it was called?"

And then they lost them.

Sarai was suddenly being grilled with question after question from Izzy. It was the most engaging any of them had ever seen the red head get since getting here. It almost felt as if Sarai had an answer for everything, but they could tell by the pauses and occasional repeated mutter that Sarai was struggling to remember things. Still, she managed, and had some sort of answer for Izzy.

Izzy was so caught up in questioning Sarai, he never once continued typing on his computer.

It was almost like the two were in a world of their own, as they shared information.

But none of that was what astounded them all the most.

With every new fruit, nut or berry Sarai would present, somehow it ended with Izzy eating it. Eventually, Izzy had eaten a bit of everything and a few extra of the things he liked. Mimi had fallen silent at the display but her eyes were wide with understanding. Matt and Tai just blinked as they'd never seen Izzy eat as much as he just did. The younger boy was always too distracted by his computer to eat or caught up in some new discovery or pondering question.

Izzy only snapped out of his near crazy muttering when Tentomon touched his arm.

"Izzy, aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Oh! Yeah! Right, Sarai this is Tentomon."

Sarai had fallen quiet after she'd answered all of Izzy's questions. Instead she'd listened to Izzy go off on a tangent rant of theories on the digital world's vegetation and climate. She smiled softly at Tentomon before getting down on her knees and greeting the bug digimon at equal height.

"Hello Tentomon, thank you for looking out for Izzy."

"Were you and Izzy good friends where you came from?" Tentomon asked.

There was a strange intensity from the digimon at the question, but no one would notice besides Gaomon. Gaomon was however, still being coincidentally distracted by Patamon and TK. Sarai blinked at the question but gave a light laugh before answering.

"I guess you could say Izzy and I were lunch buddies."

Its odd- extremely odd and somehow right- that her answer explained so much and yet so little. Tai could vaguely remember spotting the two sharing a table. Matt can't believe he'd not realized Izzy was the boy Sarai ate lunch with. Mimi, however, found herself staring at Izzy who had turned back to his computer with a maniac focus and tangent of muttering, typing in all he'd learned and adding it to his list of observations about the Digital world.

She hadn't considered the possibility the others were familiar with Sarai too.

No- that's not right.

Mimi hadn't realized  ** _Sarai_**  might have known and been familiar with one of the others.

TK was friendly to everyone, so he didn't count, and where TK went Matt followed. Tai- well Tai had this thing about him, you just can't ignore the boy. Sora was super attentive and reminded Mimi a lot of her mom sometimes- but Sora already told her she'd never met Sarai before. Joe had met Sarai just before they fell, but everyone knew of Joe- he was always helping.

Mimi had just assumed Izzy didn't know Sarai, that he'd never met her like Sora.

It stung to realize she'd said all those things to him, when the truth is, he might know Sarai just as well as she did.

Guilt twisted uncomfortably in Mimi's stomach… Had she been too quick to judge, again?

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Leomon returned and with him came a strange red with blue markings kind of creature. They found out from TK that the digimon was called Elecmon and that he was the caretaker of Primary Village. Sarai couldn't help but find herself intimidated by the digimon.

"AND YOU DARED TO ENDANGER MY PRECIOUS BABIES! WHY I OUGHT TO-"

It didn't matter that Leomon was stronger and bigger in all ways. Elecmon was furious to find out how close to danger his babies had been. TK and Patamon were teary eyed and hiding behind Matt, afraid the digimon would blame them for bringing danger to the babies. Of course, that all changed when Leomon spoke up and admitted to trying to kill TK and Patamon while being mind controlled.

Evidently Elecmon didn't care.

Elecmon's yelling was growing louder and louder. It seemed his outburst was only angering him further, so much so, Sarai found sparks building at his tails. Panicked and worried the digimon was about to attack, Sarai stepped forward and hastily bent in a stiff bow.

"I'M SORRY!" she blurted.

The other children and digimon once again found themselves gaping as Gaomon had mirrored Sarai exactly. Both Sarai and Gaomon were bent over in apologetic stances. Matt mentally took note that once again Sarai was apologizing for something she seriously didn't do. The older blond felt a twinge in the back of his mind, a tingle of alarm that distressed him about the behavior Sarai was portraying.

"The night before, Sarai and I engaged in combat against Leomon and had managed to briefly free him from the black gears control,"Gaomon solemnly explained.

Again, everyone was just staring at the two. Although, Patamon marveled at how human Gaomon sounded by using words such as 'engaged' and 'combat'. Agumon found himself frowning as he stared at the dog digimon.

Sarai curled her fists and started to tremble as her mother's voice mocked her in her head. She knew better than to listen to the voice- knew better than to fall in to the trap of old memories. Yet, she couldn't help but listen and believe every word. Gaomon looked at Sarai and held her hand which just so happened to be the injured one. A dark flash of something red and angry flickered in the depths of his eyes.

"If I had only been stronger…" Gaomon lowly growled through his teeth.

"If I hadn't been such a coward…" Sarai whispered

Elecmon suddenly felt uncomfortable, but to his relief someone spoke up.

"What are you talking about!?" Tai demanded looking completely astonished.

Sarai winced at his outburst but no one noticed other than Matt.

"If you're taking the blame then Agumon and I should be blamed the exact same!"

"Don't be ridiculous Sarai! It was us who got tricked and fell for that stupid illusion!" Mimi fiercely added.

"Besides, how were you supposed to take on Leomon on your own?" Izzy firmly contributed.

Sarai struggled to listen to their words pass the laughter of her mother in her head. Gaomon growled deeply before he began to argue against them all.

"I was weak and because of that, Leomon had to protect us."

Agumon's eyes widened and from the tight whisper of his name from Gabumon, he wasn't the only one who noticed. For a flicker of a second, the both of them had seen a shine of red in Gaomon's eyes. Matt however, stayed silent as he intently watched Sarai's every move, searching for further signs of his suspicions.

Sarai frowned at Gaomon's words and immediately bent down to her partners side. Gaomon was glowering at her arm and it dawned on her that Gaomon wasn't really talking about Leomon anymore. She cupped the dog digimon's furry cheeks and thumbed at his fur. She pressed their foreheads together and silently offered her apology.

"Uh… haha…. I suppose I might have overacted. It's just their my babies, you know." Elecmon awkwardly dismissed.

As Elecmon explained to the others the bad feeling he'd had that his babies were in danger which prompted his return, Sarai and Gaomon tuned him out. The two remained clutching each other- hugging and comforting one another in silent understanding. They blocked out the world around them that suddenly felt like too much- too overwhelming and new.

They paid no attention to the flickering eyes of concern and wonder from the other digimon and their human partners.

No one especially noticed the soft look of sympathy and regret that swelled in Leomon's eyes.

Eventually, Elecmon left to tend to the baby digimon- not before he promised that they could stay the night in the village. All of them heard the unspoken implication that it would only be for  ** _one_** more night. Still, the children thanked the digimon, thinking it fair as they'd caused the poor village too much trouble already.

They'd chosen to settle beneath one of the trees not too far away and started in on the fruits Leomon had brought. Of course it didn't take long for the conversation to change from light hearty to interrogative.

"Leomon, I was hoping you could offer your help in deciphering this ancient code I discovered at one of the temples," Izzy began.

Leomon frowned and shook his head.

"There is no need. I know of the ancient temple you speak off. You will find there are many such places throughout the digital world that preserve such legends and myths."

"So does that mean you know what it said?" Mimi questioned with surprise.

Leomon nodded and found all eyes on him waiting patiently for elaboration.

All eyes but Sarai and Gaomon.

The two seemed to quietly remain a bit distant to the others, after their apology. The others had decided to leave them be for a few moments. Although it was an obvious struggle for Mimi and Tai. The two constantly stared at Sarai and Gaomon, impatiently waiting for signs they were ready to face them again. It was clear, Sarai set the more energetic and lively of their lot on edge. Matt had taken to ignoring the two but his eyes would occasionally stray with a thoughtful expression. TK left them alone after Matt had given him a soft warning.

Izzy was perhaps the most at ease with leaving Sarai and Gaomon alone.

Understandably, it was because he could relate with the need to catch a moment of solitude to just recenter and focus.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"Once upon a time, a rumor had begun to spread….."

Sarai was only half listening to Leomon's tale. Most of her attention was split between Gaomon and her arm. The numbing paste seemed to have worn off completely and it was uncomfortably painful to move her arm at all. A small jolt caused a burst of burning ache to flare- it felt more like a broken arm than a simple cut.

"So that's why you call us the Chosen Children!" Tai points out with realization.

Sarai frowns and looks up to where Leomon sits against the trunk. The Lion digimon nods his head, but something about the way he's acting doesn't sit well with her. Gaomon shifts and looks up at her with a tilt of his head but she shakes her own in response. She's probably just over thinking things, Leomon is most likely still feeling strange after being possesed by the black gears.

Still…for a second the Lion digimon looked sad with regret.

"But you have no proof!" Matt pointed out with a narrow gaze.

Sarai agreed with the older blond and she nodded her head to show it. Both she and Gaomon shuffled a little closer to join the sitting circle for the discussion. Mimi didn't hesitate to sidle close to Sarai's other side, caging her between Gaomon and herself. Sarai smiled and hid the wince she gave when Mimi held her injured hand, unknowingly causing her pain.

"The Chosen Children are said to have the power to enable Digimon to evolve, just like you guys," Leomon justified.

Sarai frowned before she spoke up with disagreement.

"That's not really proof, just a coincidental assumption."

It was a bit intimidating to have Leomon's full attention on herself, but Sarai pushed herself to keep speaking.

"What's to say the digimon evolving is simply their own power? We just so happen to be in danger so its up to them to evolve to help us," she explains.

Tai looks at Agumon who looks back and they just blink at each other.

"Huh? But Agumon told me it was thanks to me he could digivolve."

"And if that's true then I should have been able to digivolve whenever!" Patamon added.

Sarai shifted uneasily, hoping she's not offending anyone with what she's saying.

"Well, I'm just saying it's not really a fair way to decide we're these chosen children."

Izzy thankfully adds his own opinion which implied his agreement with Sarai.

"I understand. Despite our journey so far, there are too many factors to consider whether we are the true reason for the digimon's evolution or if it's purely circumstantial."

Agumon, Patamon and Palmon don't appear to like this explanation at all.

"Well what are you trying to say, then? Is it or is it not because of us our digimon can evolve!?" Tai huffs with frustration.

Both Sarai and Izzy seem to sense the silent warning that tells them to be careful with what they say next.

"Either way, if we have to be in Danger for the digimon to evolve, I'm not comfortable with being a so called chosen one at all!" Matt pitched in with a scowl.

"But Matt-"

"No TK. Look, it's great that Gabumon and the others have been protecting us but this isn't our world! We still need to get home and chosen or not we can't stay here and just leave our parents behind." Matt explains.

"Matt's right! I want to go home." Mimi adds as she hugs her knees.

Sarai feels guilt twist and churn in her chest. She hadn't meant to divide everyone's opinion. She could hear her mother's voice accusing and blaming her but she ignored it best she could.

"I'm sorry, it's not that I don't think we help the digimon evolve. Just that….."

"Just that there is no real proof,"Gabumon summarizes.

The horned digimon is looking at Agumon when he speaks, but the orange digimon just stares at him. The slow mounting silence is then interrupted by Gaomon's stubborn and blunt words.

"You are  **our partners**. We didn't just wait for you, we  **knew**  you were coming. Whether you are in danger or not, if we had never of met any of you  **none** of us would have been able to evolve like we do."

Its strange how Gaomon's words cause Tai, Matt, Izzy, TK and Mimi to feel warm in their chests. When they look to their digimon partners, they find agreeing smiles and nods. Gaomon summed up everything the digimon felt and something that felt like reassured pleasure thrummed among the children.

Sarai however stared at Gaomon, unable to meet his gaze directly.

"You don't know that," she whispered in disagreement.

Gaomon shook his head and stubbornly shifted so Sarai would meet his gaze.

"We're best friends, of course I do."

It earns him a shy but heart warmed smile and Mimi gives a smothered squeal at the cuteness, which prompts two bright red spots to appear on Gaomon's cheeks. The tense atmosphere that had been building suddenly eases out and Leomon marvels at the change. He can both feel and sense the change in energy between the chosen children and their digimon. Their bonds to each other had suddenly deepened just the slightest.

He once again looked at Sarai and Gaomon with wonder.

Just how greatly has she changed things already?

Izzy returns them to the beginning topic before they'd gone off tangent.

"If what Leomon said is true….. then if we destroy the darkness we'll end up being unnecessary in this world."

Tentomon frowned at Izzy's words not liking his use of 'unnecessary'. Mimi huffed with a slight roll of her eyes before she prompted the red haired boy to explain.

"What do you mean Izzy?"

Izzy took no notice of her tone but turned to the others, specifically Matt.

"I'm saying we just might be able to go home."

A new silence seized them as the children suddenly dared to hope. The digimon however squirmed uncomfortably as they knew exactly what it meant and it frightened them deeply. None more so than Gaomon whose time with Sarai had affected him profoundly. The dog digimon caught the glazed haze of Sarai's eyes and he curled closer to her in silent comfort. She clung to him with her free, uninjured arm.

Returning to Earth terrified Sarai and Gaomon more than anyone would ever know.

Matt set the mood perfectly when he trailed off with his sentence and glared up at the top of Infinity Mountain. If they really were the chosen children destined to destroy the evil power in this world, it would only mean one thing.

"You must destroy Devimon, who is the source of that evil power." Leomon unnecessarily confirmed.

They sat in solemn silence, heavy with worry and anxious anticipation toward their unknown future. If they did this, agreed to take on the challenge and responsibility of saving the digital world…. They were risking so much. This would be nothing like taking their final school exams or tests. This especially wasn't a game.

This was real life and it terrified them all to the core.

But…..

Tai clenched his fists and rose to stand, aware that he'd garnered everyone's full attention.

"Let's do it guys."

Tai didn't shout but the intensity and determination in his words certainly made it seem like he did. Tai glared up at Infinity Mountain before he turned to meet every pair of eyes watching.

"Even if we aren't the chosen children, we can't let someone as evil as Devimon continue what he's doing."

He stands taller but the tone he speaks with never wavers, and Agumon stares up at Tai with eyes filled with pride and awe.

"We can't survive here unless we beat him."

Tai lets them have a few seconds to think it through, but he's just as shocked as everyone else when Izzy stands to join him.

For Izzy, it's a simple deduction of what has the most reasonable and probable chance to succeed. There are many ways this could go wrong- many risks to calculate and anticipate but it's the most logical choice. Besides, it's not as if they'll be doing it alone.

"You're right. Besides, we have the power of the holy devices!" he adds to Tai's declaration.

Tentomon feels a zing of pure wonder buzz through him, amazed with the determination his human partner thrums with.

Mimi stares at the standing two boys and her heart aches. She's scared and incredibly afraid. She's not blind to the dirt that covered Sarai and the small rips in her clothes. She can only imagine the horrors Sarai must have faced alone, but Mimi and the others had faced their own set of monsters, and they'd survived- barely, but they did. This is the last thing Mimi would have ever wanted to do in her entire life.

But she's slowly coming to notice, that sometimes… you can't get what you want no matter how hard you wish, cry and ask after it.

She lets go of Sarai's hand and stands on her own feet clenching her fists to her chest and making her own declaration.

"I'll work hard! I'm scared but I want to go home!" she passionately says.

Palmon feels her affection for Mimi bloom from her head to her roots. She's so proud of her human partner and she can't simply stay silent.

"We're going to help you!" Palmon adds.

"We've recovered our stamina and energy enough too!" Tentomon agrees.

Palmon and Tentomon are proud to see how Mimi and Izzy share a silent glance; Relieved to visibly see a truce or perhaps maybe one could call it a hesitant apology, shared between them. Either way, the digimon are bursting with joy at having the tension between their partners dwindle.

"I'm ready to fight anytime you are, Tai." Agumon grins earning a fist pump from Tai.

Matt doesn't stand, but he's watching those who are with heavy intensity. Beside him, Gabumon shifts and when the digimon speaks it is with a rather soft tone.

"Let's go to Infinity Mountain, Matt!" Gabumon says with a smile.

Matt feels hesitant to respond but Gabumon only brightens his smile and beams. There is no expectation, no pressure in the digimon's words. It's clear as anything to Matt that Gabumon is assuring him that he'll support Matt in whatever he decides. Again, Matt feels a tinge of fear and panic at the utter devotion and high regard his Digimon partner gives him. It's perhaps for that reason he simply says 'yeah' and looks elsewhere.

It doesn't stop his heart from pounding with giddy warmth that felt different from it's usual lonely ache.

Matt still can't stop the stray thought that darkly whispers in his mind….. 'Did they even have a choice?'.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

TK is well aware of the baby treatment the other kids have been giving him. He is not blind to how they talk about things weirdly when he's around, or how they whisper when he's near. It can get really frustrating for the 8 year old, but he does his best not to show it. Not with the bizarre situation they've all ended up in.

That doesn't mean its easy.

When TK cries, their not just tears for show or just because he's tired and scared.

He cries because it's always been the only way to get everyone to just stop.

Everything comes to a stop when he cries- just as it always did with his parents.

He doesn't really understand what Leomon means about being chosen. He doesn't understand why being chosen seems to upset his brother. He especially doesn't understand why they are going  _towards_  Devimon and not running away anymore.

All he knows is that it's a way to get home.

Patamon shifts and tilts his head to look at TK.

The two share a quiet look with one another, a look of understanding.

If there is one thing TK does know with absolute certainty- it's that Patamon is his best friend. They smile at each other and give quiet nods, confirming they agree with the decision and continue to watch the others.

Then TK notices Patamon watching Gaomon and Sarai intently.

He curiously looks over and is fascinated by the two.

"What are they saying?" he whispers to Patamon.

Patamon makes a weird face that TK doesn't understand and then whispers back.

"Gaomon just said 'Not alone' and Sarai just repeated it," with a shrug.

TK frowns not really understanding it either.

He was glad Sarai had found them, happy she'd gotten a digimon too. He was only hesitant around her because the others acted all weird whenever she was around. Matt would seem grumpier than usual, Tai talked a lot more and Mimi clung to her like he would when Matt and his Dad had to leave. Even Izzy was weird with Sarai around.

TK didn't get it, but he was aware enough to know, now was not the time to ask.

"I will also assist you." Leomon assured.

And then everything was settled.

When Tai gave a cheer, TK laughed and started another game with the digimon leaving the others to continue talking. Gaomon didn't join but he'd expected that, the digimon seemed very standoffish. What surprised TK was it was Sarai instead who asked if she could play with them.

"Huh? But don't you want to talk with the others?" Patamon questioned with confusion.

All the digimon and TK stared at Sarai like she was some bizarre digimon.

Sarai just sighed and shook her head with a small shrug.

"I don't think I have any good ideas to offer. Besides, I'm sure they'll come up with something good with or without me, but talking about it just makes me nervous."

Oh, that's similar to something TK had heard Joe say once.

He beamed at Sarai, feeling excited over the fact one of the older kids- besides Matt- wanted to play with him.

"Sure! Even Gaomon can play with us if he wants."

Sarai gives a light laugh and a fond smile but shakes her head again.

"Not this time, apparently he's got questions for Leomon and wants to hear what the others are thinking."

"And you don't?" Palmon can't help but interrupt.

Sarai seems to finally notice the intense consideration she's under from all the digimon. She blinks and frowns a little uneasily.

"Uh…. Should I?"

The digimon appear baffled, especially Tentomon. Usually, their human partners would gather in a huddle to discuss what their plans would be and the digimon would distract and play with TK. It's Gabumon who disrupts the awkward turning atmosphere.

"Well, TK was telling us about this game called duck, duck goose. Do you know how to play?"

"Oh sure!" Sarai then explains the rules but then gets side tracked by the overload of questions the digimon ask her.

"What's a duck?" "What's a Goose?" "Are there green gooses?" "But what's a geese?" "Oh! Okay but why does the Goose have to run?" "But why are there more ducks than goose?" "Oh! But- wait! What's a Duck?"

TK finds himself giggling and laughing as the digimon question Sarai over and over, coming up with weird understandings about ducks and gooses. Though they never end up playing the game, they all seem to have fun- laughing so loudly several times the others would look over with burning curiosity.

Tentomon- who is so over whelmed with fascination and disbelief after Sarai's explanation about ducks and geese hatching out of eggs, races to Izzy's side and interrupts their conversation.

"IZZY! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME DUCKS AND GOOSES WERE EARTH DIGIMON!"

Izzy blinks in shock then gapes.

"What?"

TK falls back into another round of laughter and sees Sarai is doing the same.

He's only 8 and he doesn't really understand a lot of what's happening.

But he sure is glad Sarai ended up in the digital world too.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

They manage to rest just a bit longer, before the anxiety about everything becomes too much. After ensuring they all agreed, Tai decided they'd start making their way to Infinity Mountain immediately.

"The faster we do it, the quicker it's over, right?" he defends.

Gaomon and Agumon quickly nod in agreement, but the others are a little hesitant.

"What about Joe and Sora? I thought we were going to wait." Matt points out.

Mimi cuts in before Tai can reply.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll understand it's not like were leaving them behind or anything."

Matt winces and immediately shuts up as the atmosphere seems to shift. Tai froze with tension and Izzy's face smoothed into a blank expression. Only Sarai and TK seemed oblivious to the sudden tension and pointed glint in Mimi's eyes.

"Well, you did say they'd probably have the same idea to go to Infinity Mountain. If we're lucky they might be there already if we leave now," Sarai reasoned.

Matt just gave a stiff nod when Sarai looked to him questioningly.

"Okay… I guess that means we're going." Tai awkwardly chuckled.

Leomon joined the conversation, informing them on how he had a boat and that taking the river would be faster than walking. As Sarai and Gaomon thanked Leomon and inquired about where she could re-stock her bag with fruits as Izzy had made a decent dent in it earlier, the children exchanged tense glances.

"Mimi…." Tai quietly began.

The pink loving girl turned to him with a stubborn huff.

"I get that you might be angry but now really isn't the time."

Izzy quietly mumbled his own contribution to the quiet discussion.

"We can't go into a fight when we ourselves are at odd."

"Fine."

The Pink wearing girl turned to Matt with a daring glare of warning.

"I'll forgive you, but you better start being nicer to Sarai!"

Matt tensed his jaw and stayed silent up until TK tugged at his shirt.

"She's really fun, Matt and you have been a little weird towards her."

Matt gritted his teeth and huffed out his agreement with a glare.

"Whatever, let's just go already."

They made their way to follow after Leomon, Sarai and Gaomon who'd begun to make their way to Leomon's boat. Not too far behind the Humans, their digimon partners had been having a group discussion of their own.

"I like her!" Tentomon declared with nod.

"Mimi likes her." Palmon shared with a shrug.

"She's weird," Patamon added with a flap of his ears.

Agumon accepted their words with contemplation but Gabumon stared at the dinosaur digimon imploringly.

"You're over thinking things."

Agumon scratched at his nose.

"Am I?"

Gabumon frowned and stressed his reply.

" ** _Yes"_**

Agumon hummed then rubbed at his belly, well aware of his hatch mates' careful watch.

"Agumon, Gaomon is still the same as before he left," Palmon attempted.

Agumon didn't reply, just stared at where Gaomon stood beside Sarai.

"He's just grown up without us," Tentomon added.

Agumon looked at the two with silent eyes, and they wisely stopped trying. Neither Palmon and Tentomon could meet Agumon's eyes, not when he was looking at them with  _that_  look. Patamon spoke next with an optimistic cheer.

"Don't worry too much, Gaomon knows he can come to us when he's ready."

Agumon relaxes just a little at that, which causes the others to relax as well. The dinosaur digimon hoped Patamon was right, but it didn't stop the uncomfortable feeling growing in his stomach. He knows what he saw, but what could he do? The feeling grew worse and he frowned heavily.

"Agumon?" Gabumon questioned.

"I'm hungry."

The digimon groaned and practically fell back in disbelief.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

A wide black cloud began to circle the sky at the top of Infinity Mountain. Following that came the whizzing sound of a hoard of flying black gears, all heading towards the Mountain tip. Sora yelped as Birdramon dodged the few that almost collided with her flight path.

"What is that!?" she yelled.

"Black Gears!" Birdramon answered.

"They must have been called by the evil at the top of them mountain!"

Ikkakumon frowned with worry, and his teeth gleamed with stress as Birdramon gave a similar expression.

"The fight must be starting without us already," the seal like digimon determined.

Joe gripped Ikkakumon's fur tighter and his jaw tensed tightly. He did not enjoy the swooping worry and panic that erupted in his belly. He had a bad feeling- a terribly bad feeling, that something was going to go incredibly wrong.

"We should hurry up!" Sora shouted.

Joe was too worried to even say anything, only offering a stiff head nod and urging Ikkakumon to swim faster. Sora felt incredibly unsettled, she'd hoped that looking at Joe would give her some feeling of reassurance. She had hoped, maybe Joe would tell her not to worry but one look told her the exact opposite.

If Joe was looking so incredibly stressed, and terrified, then she knew with certainty it was for good reason.

"Please be okay…." She whispered to the wind, praying that the others- her friends, would be safe.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

They were barely up the mountain when it happened.

Sarai felt the ground beneath her feet ripple and shake, fear gripped at her insides with a mighty squeeze. The sky turned a menacing dark black and her arm  **burned**  in unison with the taunts of her mother's voice.

"What's happening!?" Tai yelled.

A large winged and horned figure began to grow from the top of the mountain, and Sarai could barely breathe. She heaved and gasped, feeling her entire body freeze stiff in place, while her heart pounded in maniacal panic.

"Why is he so big!?" Palmon exclaimed

"Could it be an illusion like the one he made earlier!?" Izzy added as cold sweat dripped down the sides of his face.

"No, it's the power of evil, it's grown greater!" Leomon declared as he eyed Devimon's large form.

Matt kept a tight grip on TK's shoulder as they all watched with horror as Devimon flew into the sky.

"HE'S COMING!"Tai shouted as Devimon began to descend not too far away from them.

Devimon landed with a loud thud, and they braced themselves against the shaking ground and gusty wind he caused.

"AGUMON! DIGIVOLVE!" Tai instructed.

Before Agumon could even attempt to do such a thing, Devimon turned with a large sweeping hand that sent them all flying into the side of the Mountain with painful thuds.

And then he attacked.

They were too slow.

He was too quick.

They were unprepared.

They were powerless against the large red and black shadow beam that engulfed them all. They could only cry out in pain, but even that was drowned out. The clearing was suddenly ringing with Sarai's agonizing scream.

Her cry was so sudden, it shocked even Devimon for just a moment. The evil devil digimon knew he'd not used the strongest of his attacks, no, he'd been planning to play with the chosen children for a little bit. So why? Why did the child react so violently?

The longer he held them under the attack, the louder and more high pitched Sarai's screaming turned.

It truly horrified the children, as they knew they too were crying out, but none of them were screaming like Sarai. Not even Mimi.

But it was Leomon who clued in first.

He sensed the evil pulsing thrum of darkness, from Sarai's injury despite the fact she had hidden it by wearing her hoodie.

"HER ARM-" was all he managed to shout before Devimon used his other hand to attack him.

But Tai and Devimon had easily heard his words.

And realization dawned on the both of them.

Devimon stretched his smile, till all his pointed teeth gleamed and his cheeks ached.

"Oh what a stupid foolish little child." He cackled.

Sarai was now crying wet streams and her injured arm began to bleed through the sleeve of her hoodie.

"You truly came to me to die!"

" **HARPOON TORPEDO!"**

Anything else he might have said was interrupted by the unexpected attack. A series of torpedo looking pellets collided and exploded against Devimon, causing him to lose focus and end his attack. The silence that followed was hard to ignore and Izzy and Mimi caught Sarai before she could crumble to the ground. Sarai was sobbing but she was no longer screaming, and Tai rushed to her side. He shrugged off her hoodie and all the children and digimon gave sharp gasps of horror at the blood that soaked her arm.

"Sora!" Joe signaled and from the sky, Birdramon and Sora attacked.

" **METEOR WING!"**

Balls of flames attacked Devimon, causing him to groan out in pain. Birdramon dipped to the ground to let Sora hurry to the others, before flying back up to the sky on the ready.

"What the hell is wrong with her!?" Matt demanded.

Sarai seemed delirious, and she clung to Mimi and Izzy with a trembling tight grip. TK was petrified and his eyes burned to cry too, everything was suddenly incredibly scary. The digimon had never seen human blood before and the rustic smell made their noses itch and a few stomachs squirm.

"EVERY ONE! DIGIVOLVE NOW WHILE WE GOT THE CHANCE!" Sora cried out as she ran to join them.

Agumon looked to Tai, whose hands had become bloody from where he'd unwrapped Sarai's arm to see the wound. The dinosaur digimon could feel the utter fear and pure hysterical panic Tai was feeling. All the digimon could feel their human partners emotional turmoil.

"You heard her Agumon! Digivolve!" Tai ordered.

Sarai whimpered and hissed when Mimi shifted her just the slightest. It sent the pink wearing girl into a teary spiral of apology. Matt saw Tai's hands shake, and he'd morbidly took note of the dark red that stained his hands. He pushed TK towards Izzy and shortly demanded the red haired boy watch TK. He fell to his knees with a heavy thud, and pressed his shoulder against Tai's.

The digimon were frozen with conflicted horror, influenced by their human partners panic.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE DIGIVOLVE!" Matt shouted.

" **Gabumon digivolve too….."**

One by one the digimon began to evolve, but their partners didn't have time to focus on them. Sora finally reached them and she inhaled sharply at the bloody red weeping from Sarai's arm and staining Tai's hands.

"Oh my god!" she whimpered.

"I-I didn't know! I didn't know it was  **this** bad!" Tai freaked out.

"TAI! Focus! Sora, where's Joe? We need to- to- We need to STOP- right- Stop the bleeding!" Matt stressed.

As the 11 year old's crowded together, Izzy found himself freaking out, with no idea on how to stop Mimi and TK from crying. He felt as if his brain had shut down, nothing seemed to make sense. Then Patamon shakily whispered with innocent concern.

"TK…what's all that red stuff?"

Mimi wailed louder and Izzy could only grab her hand tightly as he urged TK to look away from Sarai's- Sarai's…. from the red stuff.

"J-Joe's fighting with Ikkakumon! What happened to her?" Sora struggled to say.

They heard a roar and looked to find all their digimon had finished digivolving and were relentlessly attacking. They could hear Joe yelling orders and warnings from where he was with Ikkakumon. Under any other circumstance, they would have marveled at the way Joe was asserting himself. The usually anxious blue head sounded so commanding and controlled…..exactly like a hero they could trust to protect them.

Joe would never know it, but it was this moment that forever labelled him as the most reliable person they would ever know. Because despite everything- the literal fear they  **knew**  Joe must have felt, he  **knew**  they needed his help and so he fought to protect them.

"When she caught up with us, she was already injured! She told us it was just a scratch and she seemed FINE!" Tai hastily explained.

They cringed as they heard another attack meet it's mark.

Leomon struggled to his feet and ran to attack Devimon's open back. He yelped with surprise when Ogremon appeared out of Devimon's back and defended the evil digimon. Leomon groaned with pain and heard Joe cry out as Ikkakumon was lifted and thrown.

With all the chaos and horrifying panic erupting, none noticed the slow growing pit of darkness.

No one seemed to wonder just where Gaomon was during everything.

Sora hears it first.

A low and very deep rumbling that sounded like an engine revving.

Next was Matt, who felt a cold sliding of fear crawl down his spine as he turned towards the noise.

And then Tai, with his hands wet with Sarai's blood, looked up.

An incredibly  **large**  beast with eyes a crimson bright red stood tensely with it's teeth gleaming white and sharp. Despite it's canine similarities, no one would dare call the creature a simple dog or wolf. It's eyes were dark with  ** _furious rage_**  and it's large claws curled into the ground. The black of it's fur easily blended in with the shadows of the growing night.

It could only be called a great  **BEAST.**

Greymon, Togemon, Garurumon, Kabuterriermon, Ikkakumon and Birdramon whimpered and groaned at the intense darkness the beast was projecting.

But TK was the only one who heard Patamon's whimpering sniffle of fear as he buried closer into TK's arm.

"G-Gao-Gaogamon?" Patamon whispered.

The black beast lifted his head to the sky and he  ** _howled_**  out a roar of rage, that cleared the dark clouds and allowed the white moon to shine through.

The only sound that followed was Sarai's whimpering sobs and her broken whisper through glazed over eyes.

" _M-ma-mama p-please….stop it"_ Sarai cried and then the beast attacked.

It moved with a hungry purpose, it saw nothing but the giant evil Devimon. Tai, Sora, Matt, Izzy and Mimi barely moved out of the way in time. They had to jump to the side as the black furious beast almost trampled them in it's haste to attack.

 **"SPIRAL BLOW!"** it roared.

The children screamed as the fight began anew. Devimon actually found himself struggling against the beastly creature, who was much too quick with it's movements. Greymon and the others hurried to their feet and attempted to help their fury blind hatch mate.

TK found himself alone and frozen stiff as he stared up at the fighting digimon.

"T-that's…. it c-can't be him….." He whimpered completely terrified of Sarai's digimon partner.

Patamon felt anxious and tried to ignore the overwhelming emotions he could feel coming from TK. The piglet like digimon looked about and found all the children frozen with literal fear as they watched the fight with horror. The only person closest to them was Sarai, who was crying and mumbling at something only she seemed to see as the red stuff started to turn black.

Just when it felt like it couldn't get any worse, Devimon manages to pin the beast beneath his large hand. No matter how much the beast struggled, clawed and bit, Devimon maintained his hold. Greymon and the others could barely life their heads and all the children were too terrified to move.

In that moment the children all shared the exact same thought.

This is it.

'He's going to kill us.'

Devimon grinned and his eyes sought the smallest child. When he found him he cackled deeply with victory and malicious eagerness.

"The smallest chosen child…."

TK couldn't stop shaking but again his feet felt glued in place.

"As long as you are gone, I have nothing else to fear…. **DEATH CLAW!"**

TK felt as if everything was happening in slow motion. He could see Devimon's large leathery talon sharp hand getting closer and closer. He could feel his heart racing with terror and his knees buckled as cold sweet dripped down his face.

But he couldn't bring himself to move.

He thought he heard Matt shout something at him, but everything felt muffled. As if he had his ears stuffed full with cotton balls. Devimon let out a loud cursing cry as the beast had tore into and bit at Devimon's hand to free himself. The digimon launched themselves at Devimon and continued to try and hold him down- continued to try and protect their human partners.

TK knew this was his chance to move but he was still frozen in place.

"TK RUN AWAY!" Matt screamed but was instantly silenced as Devimon roared and freed himself with a burst of black and red shadows. They all got blown to the ground by the force and no one could find the energy to move.

"I-I c-can't….." Agumon struggled.

Devimon picked up the black beast and squeezed the middle of the beast's body tightly until he roared out. There was a sickening loud crack of something breaking and Sarai's digimon partner slumped over limp. Matt crawled but his entire body hurt and he could only watch with horror as Devimon turned to grab TK. In that very moment, Matt had been certain he was going to witness the gruesome end of his baby brother and he cried.

 **"AIR SHOT! AIR SHOT! AIR SHOT!** " Patamon desperately attacked but there was no stopping Devimon.

Tears streamed down Patamon's terrified cheeks and then TK screamed out with terrified desperate  **hope**.

"PAAATAAAAMOOOONN!"

Devimon's giant hand curled and squeezed tightly into a fist around Patamon and TK.

All everyone could hear was Matt's agonized cry of TK's name.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

TK had his eyes tightly shut as he waited for his end. Instead, all he felt was warmth and then his ears picked up the sound of heavy breathing and wet splattering. There was something tight wrapped around him, and he felt his face being smothered closely. A shift of his head had his ears picking up the sound of something else.

_Ba-dump._

_Ba-dump._

_Ba-dump._

A heart beat.

And though he couldn't see….. TK felt and knew with certainty…that he was safe.

**"PATAMON DIGIVOLVES TOO…."**

Only then did he bravely open his eyes, and as Patamon's digivolving light protectively forced Devimon to back off, TK stared with wide eyed shock at his shield.

"S-Sa-Sarai?" he stuttered.

The glaze in her eyes hadn't faded at all, though she was looking at TK, it was as if she was seeing something else. She was so obviously in pain, and she was still bleeding- droplets of weird black blood staining the ground behind him from her arm. She pulled back from her protective covering and smiled wide and brightly- so bright TK almost felt as if nothing was wrong.

But he new better.

"Sh…. It's o-okay…. D-don't cry…..I'm s-sorry I made you….worry….."

Sarai slumped over and finally fell unconscious. TK heard a keening whimper come from where her digimon partner had fallen.

" **ANGEMON!"**

The others hadn't seen Sarai move, they'd been too far, everything had happened so fast. It didn't mean their hearts hadn't dropped to the pits of their stomachs, and all their eyes didn't burst with tears as TK  _wailed_ her name with a high pitched scream.

"No!" Sora sobbed as she fell to her knees.

Mimi was a mess as she buried her face into Izzy's neck. The two ten year old's clung tightly to one another, both refusing and denying everything around them was real. It couldn't be because- because…. Sarai couldn't possibly be…

Matt was too in shock, Joe felt as if the ground had disappeared from beneath him.

But Tai…..

Tai was being choked with the reality that he'd  **failed.**

How were any of them to know, that she was still alive?

All they could hear was TK's wailing scream, all they could see was Sarai's unconscious body.

They were just kids…..

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Patamon had known that when it was his turn to digivolve… it would be important.

Just as Wanyamon had known he would one day need to leave them.

Never did the young- often mischievous, digimon imagine it would be like this.

The despair, the grief, the horror and terrified sounds from his hatch mates- from his best friend,  **broke**  his heart.

And he could feel everyone's hope begin to fade.

They all seemed to be giving up.

"Damn you…. I was so close!" Devimon cursed.

Angemon turned his focus to the giant devil digimon, and let the power of his new self flow through him.

The angel digimon tightened his grip on his staff and verbally declared his judgement for all to hear.

"I will obliterate your powers of evil….Come to me, Oh Holy powers!" he cried out.

It took a few seconds, but eventually bright light beams burst from every child's digivice and Angemon easily accepted the power. One by one, the digimon returned to their rookie forms, tears and desperate hope in all their eyes.

TK had stopped wailing but was struggling to catch his breath as he tangled his fingers in Sarai's shirt. He only looked up when a large towering shadow fell over him, BlackGaogamon had crawled his way to TK and Sarai, a whimpering whine leaving his throat from both pain and heartbreak. It took a few flickers before Sarai's digivice lit up and sent out a beam to join the others.

The bright light was too much and none of them could see anything but Angemon's outline in the sky. Devimon hissed as the brightness stung and burned his skin.

"STOP! IF YOU DO THAT YOU WON'T GET OFF LIGHTLY EITHER!" Devimon hissed.

Angemon knew…but it was a price he was willing to pay.

"There is no other way… even if this ends up destroying my body….. your evil powers have grown far too much."

They all heard Angemon speak but it took a few seconds for them to understand want the angel digimon meant. Palmon is the first to cry out her hatch mates name in denial, and then Tentomon screams for Angemon not to do it. Agumon struggles to his feet with the help of Gomamon, Gabumon and Biyomon.

Fear shining bright in all their eyes.

TK looks up, not really understanding why the digimon are acting like that.

He doesn't really understand why Matt has joined in with the yelling digimon, telling Angemon no to do it.

"Angemon…" TK whispers.

BlackGaogamon is nudging at Sarai with his large snout but she doesn't move. The red in the black beastly digimon's eyes seem to be returning. Angemon looks down at TK one last time and smiles at him widely….. his staff had turned into energy and gathered at his glowing right fist.

"Angemon…." TK repeats through teary eyes.

The angel digimon's smile turns sad but accepting.

"I'm sorry…..TK…"

Sarai's digimon lifts his head to the sky and howls with tears flowing while the other digimon scream Angemon's name.

Devimon curses and attempts to stop Angemon, but it's too late. Angemon pulls back his fist and cries out his attack before striking.

" **HANDS OF FATE!"**

Devimon's scream of pain joins BlackGaogamon's howl as a bright light envelops them all.

When the light finally begins to fade, the demon and angel stand opposite each other in the sky, both dissolving into data particles.

"That was foolish of you. What was the point in exhausting all your energy here?" Devimon mocks.

As he begins to point out how stupid Angemon was to waste so much energy now, when out in the world there was greater evil, the angel just listened.

"You guys are finished." Devimon cruelly smirked before cackling one last time.

Angemon said nothing.

He planned to dissolve in silence, but then a trembling voice choked out his name.

"A-angemon…"

He looked down to where TK stared at him, and marveled at just how tiny TK seemed now compared to when he was Patamon.

It makes him smile.

TK is safe and Angemon… can't find it in his heart to feel bad for doing what he did.

"TK… I'm sure we'll meet again….so long as you wish for it…."

And in a final burst of data and feathers…Angemon was no more.

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Cold.

BlackGaogamon feels nothing but cold grief strangling his heart and drowning it.

Then he feels a flickering of something warm, and the tickle of something soft lands on his snout.

He opens his glowing red eyes and finds a pure white feather.

The flickering warmth he felt explodes and the cold is chased away.

He thinks he hears Patamon speaking to him, but can't find his hatch mate anywhere.

Around him…..there are only falling white feathers.

_'I missed you Wanyamon….I hope one day we can play again…'_

Something in BlackGaogamon shatters and he cries to the skies.

Bit by bit he begins to shrink.

From BlackGaogamon, to Gaogamon, then Gaomon until he's Wanyamon again.

His crying has turned high pitched and squeaky, and he's so filled with grief he doesn't see the single red and black shadow leave his tiny form.

The feather on his face now a dark hideous and corrupted black.

Where Sarai lays still unconscious, three pure white feathers land on her wounded arm that weeps black blood. The emotionally exhausted and traumatized children all freeze in wide eyed shock as Sarai's black blood seeps into the feathers. It begins to morph like slime and then combines into the shape of a tiny black gear.

"What…. But….. how?" Joe gapes.

No one has an answer.

The black gear shatters and bursts, disappearing with the wind and Sarai's wound looks normal.

Like a simple scratch.

Where TK has fallen forward on his knees, sobbing his heart out, a collection of white feathers pile before him. When he looks at it, it shimmers and then shines bright, and there are no feathers only a stripped egg.

"It's…..it's a digiegg…" TK whispers.

Wanyamon has fallen into shaking sobs and doesn't hesitate to curl around the egg. TK watches in a state of shock as Wanyamon nuzzles and rubs his furry cheeks against the egg. The little digimon only stops when Agumon and the other digimon have gathered round him, just as the human children have gathered around TK and Sarai.

"A-Agumon make him hatch! He has to hatch! He has to!" Wanyamon sobs.

No one knows what to say to Wanyamon's pleas but their relieved when Agumon does something. There is grief in the dinosaur digimon's eyes as he crouches down beside the frantic Wanyamon, but it doesn't stop him from giving the best eye squinting smile he can possibly give.

"Don't be afraid Wanyamon, okay! Tokomon's just sleeping right now…. He'll come back."

"Y-you p-promise?" TK begs the orange digimon to answer.

Matt hugs his brother tightly and nods determinedly.

"You betcha TK."

Several things happen after that.

The digimon close ranks and can barely bring themselves to step away from TK, Wanyamon and Patamon's egg. Matt refuses to let go of TK, which is fine with TK as he refuses to let go of the egg. Wanyamon had cried himself into a deep exhausted sleep, and was nestled protectively between Biyomon and Gabumon.

Sora, Mimi and Joe were chaotically tending to the still unconscious Sarai. They'd all taken turns in checking for themselves if she was truly still alive. It took Mimi and Sora five checks to truly assure themselves that her heart was beating. It took 5 more for Izzy, Matt and TK to believe them.

Through out it all, Tai stood a fair distance away.

He had yet to look away from Sarai's arm.

He heard movement beside him and a quick glance showed it to be Agumon.

"Tai…..did we win?" Agumon whispered.

Tai had no answer to give.

Devimon was destroyed.

But….

The feeling of failure gripped at his insides tightly and choked the google wearing boy from the inside out.

'No,' the boy thought.

They didn't win.

Tai said nothing, but that didn't matter.

As Agumon understood him just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Few Notes of interest: I noticed none of the kids actually get cut in the show (so far at least). I took creative means to show a possible consequence of what would happen. So Sarai did just get a scratch, but it was like infected by an evil dark gear. Gaomon being possesed by the shadow thing was just him being vulnerable because of his connection to Sarai. I'll explain more next chap.*
> 
> P.S: How did you like the big group reunions? :D
> 
> [Episodes Covered: S1ep13]


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't edited.
> 
> It's sort of a filler because I was finding it hard to properly give every character and digimon a moment to shine and show their growth. I thought of this chapter as a tester for how the group's dynamic is going to be now that Sarai & Wanyamon is with them.
> 
> I tried to cut down the word count and at least finish covering ep 14 but that just wasn't happening.
> 
> So here you go. A bit more notes at the end.
> 
> Enjoy.

**Chapter 8 : Second Impressions are a myth.**

-  _She didn't mean to be, but it was what she had become to them. A reminder._

**(~)-(~)- *DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Devimon had been defeated.

Ogremon found himself free but the fear he felt was immense. He knew he had to run- he had to get as far away as possible before-

"It's over Ogremon."

The fear the green digimon felt shifted into pure terror as he spun to face Leomon. The lion digimon stared down at him, and the troll like digimon trembled. Leomon was free from Devimon's control. Leomon would  _destroy_  him this time around, Ogremon simply knew he would. This time around, Ogremon had gone too far with his troubling ways. He'd actively helped evil try to  **kill**  the Chosen Children. Devimon didn't control Ogremon with his black gears. He had offered Ogremon a choice, and he'd accepted the offer with a clear mind.

"Do you still wish to fight?" Leomon bluntly questioned.

Ogremon ran.

He ran away with a scream stuck in his throat.

He'd made the wrong choice and it was too late to change his mind.

Leomon allowed Ogremon to escape, but kept his stare firmly on the green digimon's back.

This would be the last time Leomon would see the retreating figure of Ogremon. As the next time he'd come across the green digimon, both knew they'd only split ways if one had been deleted.

Soon, Leomon found himself alone among the trees.

He used this moment to reflect on the battle.

Ultimately….. Despite Devimon's defeat, the fight had not ended with victory.

Now more than ever, Leomon was forcefully aware of the heavy pressure the Chosen Children have been doomed with. He had never thought of the prophecy as a bad thing. Now, he found the entire thing a terrible curse. It must be a cruel act of fate for the screaming cries of all the children; the terrified horror he'd felt and sensed from all of them was unforgettable.

Leomon checked to make sure the children were still distracted.

Only then did he clear the port communicator and attempt to make contact with Gennai.

It didn't take long for the call to connect.

With a spluttering of static noises an image projected itself before him. An elderly human looking man appeared. Gennai looked at Leomon with confusion as the two arranged only to contact each other in cases of emergencies. If Devimon had been defeated, it would confirm the arrival of the Chosen Children. Gennai had expected his first call from file Island to be with the children, not Leomon.

"This is unexpected, but I suspect you have great reason for the call?" Gennai muttered with an uneasy tone.

Leomon looked much too solemn for the elderly human's liking. Gennai had the sudden horrific thought that perhaps one of the children had died. His mind raced with panic over which child it could have been. The child of Hope? The child of Courage? Or perhaps it was the child of Love!? The ending was always terrible when those children were lost. Gennai had lived too many time starts with such fates and he dreaded to live another.

"The children are here, and they are safe." Leomon assured.

"But?" Gennai prompted.

When Leomon spoke it was quiet- practically a whisper, but Gennai heard him all the same.

"There are eight children…..and she is not the child of light."

Outwardly, Gennai showed no reaction to Leomon's words. Inwardly, his mind was spinning with the implications and his heart was rapidly racing. There is only one other child- one other crest available. But again, if  _that_  child has joined them. If  _that_  crest is to be needed, then it could only mean terrible things.

Gennai sagged, suddenly feeling his age now more than ever.

"I see. Thank you for the information, Leomon. I will see to it that the appropriate tasks are arranged."

The elderly human and the lion like digimon shared no words and disconnected the call.

Leomon left.

The children no longer needed him, and his duty to them had been fulfilled.

But the sad regret and sympathy he felt for them remained, growing greater the further he walked.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The children had yet to speak.

The sky had long darkened and filled itself with stars. The nightly bugs and digmon had begun to stir but the silence among the children remained. There was no talk of what they were to do next, or how much they missed home. There was no laughter or jokes, no complaints about hunger. Only silence.

Until Joe spoke.

"So she really did fall, huh."

He spoke casually, as if he was just complimenting the weather. He wore a bland almost thoughtful expression that seemed amused. It was as if he was saying 'Well, would you look at that,' and marvelling at something fascinating. Sora inhaled sharply, and as she feared, Matt took the bait. She was just glad Joe had waited until TK had fallen asleep with the digimon a further bit away before he started.

Sora's adventure with Joe had allowed her to get to know the older boy better. She'd known Tai best from soccer club, knew Mimi from school and knew enough about Matt from the other girls. Izzy liked his space, so Sora had done her best to respect that, but Joe had always appeared so simple to understand.

Sora had come to learn there was a lot more to Joe than anyone could possibly guess.

"Are you trying to imply something?" Matt gritted out through clenched teeth.

Joe raised his hands taking on the universal stance of 'whoa, take it easy' but Sora knew better. She caught the glint in his eyes, the daring  _taunt_  hidden behind his glasses. Joe was baiting Matt, well aware of the blond's temper. It was childish and so incredibly not-Joe like but no one else could probably tell.

Mimi was quietly sniffling where she tightly clung to Sarai's dirty stained hoodie. Izzy had wandered off and Tai was sitting by himself by the rocks clearly not wanting company.

"I was talking about the scratch, Matt." Joe defended.

It would have been believable if his words hadn't seemed a little sarcastic. Matt was shaking with tight fists and Sora knew if she didn't do something, this would end in a fist fight. She stepped between the two boys and stared pointedly at Joe.

"That's not fair, Joe and you know it."

Joe gave a shaky laugh that many would think was out of nerves. Sora knew it was more mocking.

"Fair? None of this is  _'fair',_  Sora. We just fought a giant DEMON!"

Matt seemed to recover, and he took that moment to get his revenge on Joe's earlier remarks.

" _We_  fought? The digimon were the ones fighting, not us."

Joe bristled and straightened, the authority in his frame a little surprising. Matt knew exactly how his words would have been heard. There was a smug glint of satisfaction in his eyes as he watched Joe. Sora glared at Matt, feeling insulted on Joe's behalf. They all knew Joe had fought right beside the digimon.

"Hey, don't-"

"Oh! What were  _you_ doing?" Joe retorted back cutting Sora off.

"I was-"

"Cause I didn't see you trying to-"

"-Why!? You think because-"

"It was your-"

"It's not my fault she-"

Sora tried to cut in, she tried to keep the two boys apart. They shouted over her demands that they stop, pressed forward to get in each other's faces. Sora was just one girl and she tried her best to physically keep them apart. Their words were getting nasty and louder and just when Matt's arm began to lift and Joe's glare turned mean, Mimi screamed.

"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU JUST STOP!" she cried.

Sora abandoned the boys immediately to comfort the pink clad girl. She wrapped her arm around Mimi who clung to her for support. Mimi glared at both Matt and Joe, until Matt turned away and Joe looked ashamed.

"Sarai and TK almost died! We lost Patamon and you two are wasting time fighting! I can't believe the two of you had the nerve-"

Sora nodded in complete support of everything Mimi was accusing the boys of doing. At some points Mimi's words were a bit too hysterical to understand, but the point was clear. Fighting was going to get them nowhere. Mimi's words must have impacted on Joe somehow, as the older boy took off his glasses and wiped at his damp eyes.

"FINE! You're right, but I just- we- I told you she fell! I knew and I still-"

Matt winced and looked ashamed but a hand on his shoulder startled him out of his head. Tai had silently joined them, and when he spoke it was with a stern tone.

"You did Joe. You told us- both you and Mimi. We had to make a choice and I made the call. We took a risk and we did what we had to do. It was the best we could do at the time."

Tai shifted his stare to where Sarai was laid out and resting. Joe had cleaned and bandaged her arm with the medical equipment he carried. With Izzy's instruction, he made the numbing paste Sarai had learnt from Frigimon to speed the healing process up. Mimi and Sora had found a bunch of big warm leaves to act as a blanket, and Joe had placed his bag under Sarai's head as a pillow. Now, she looked more like she was sleeping than dead- and it eased all of the children to see her as such.

"It's nobody's fault." Sora firmly agreed.

She was met with sceptic expressions but she stubbornly repeated herself.

"It's nobody's fault. If we really want to blame someone then we should blame Devimon. If he hadn't infested this place with black gears, the island would have been safe. We would have had the time to search for Sarai with less risks. We didn't do anything wrong."

They still looked doubtful but no one argued against her. Sora decided to take that as a win, and tried to smile optimistically.

"Sarai is with us now, and whatever Patamon did cured both her and her digimon. Right now, it might seem pretty bad BUT I'm willing to bet things will get better."

It has to, because Sora didn't want to imagine what would happen if it didn't.

They were just kids….. But clearly the digital world was no place for children.

Tai gave a tiny smile at her words, Matt stopped glaring, Joe looked weary but assured and Mimi stopped crying and held her hand.

"Sure, that's sweet and all but it doesn't change the fact we almost lost a lot tonight." Matt grumbled.

Sora felt a spike of irritation, momentarily wondering if the blond was doing it on purpose. The lighter mood she'd managed to establish felt heavy again because of his words. Tai frowned and tightened his grip on Matt's shoulder.

"Hey, come on Matt you don't-"

"You don't get it! None of you get it! Fine! Leaving behind Sarai was my fault, it was my idea and I pushed for us to leave. That's on me and I accept that, but I'm not going to keep feeling sorry about it. And if I had to do it all over again, I'll make the same suggestion."

Mimi and Joe visibly looked mad at that but Matt wasn't done and he continued to speak.

"TK is- TK is the most important thing to me. I don't know Sarai, I barely knew any of you before we got stuck here! But that's just it! None of you have another sibling stuck here with you! None of you have to worry about going home and having to tell your parents that you got your little sibling killed or-or-"

Matt's crying and struggling to speak clearly. Mimi and Joe feel guilty for their earlier treatment. As an only child, Mimi couldn't really relate, but she remembered the sound of Matt screaming TK's name. Joe was the youngest of his siblings, he knew how overprotective older siblings could get. Again, he felt ashamed for his earlier baiting.

Sora had never imagined Matt crying. The blond was always so cool and collected. He was a bit of a lone wolf, quiet, distant like a star you admire from afar. She was seeing a side of him she never thought he would have. She was seeing him cry and she felt for him. TK was more important to him than she initially thought, because Matt wasn't just crying out of fear and stress. He was crying because he loved TK so deeply the thought of something happening to him caused him incredible pain.

Sora wondered if she'd ever know or care about someone in such a way.

But it was Tai who comforted Matt.

Tai didn't hug Matt, he simply offered out his hand and waited for the blond to take it. Matt stopped crying to stare at the offered hand with confusion. Tai wore an expression of pure determination. Out of everyone, Tai could relate the best with what Matt was feeling. He understood the blond the most, and knew the promise he was going to make was one he was going to keep.

"You're right, Matt. Tonight could have gone worst. But you can bet that from here on out, there isn't anything in this world that's going to stop us. We were separated before, but not anymore. From here on out, we're all in this together. I promise you, no matter what happens next, we're  **all** going home."

A small part of Tai wondered if he was really this foolish. How could he smile and grin, making a promise he couldn't guarantee to keep? Why was he daring to doom himself to more failure after tonight?

But Tai ignored that small part of him.

The others had trusted him to lead them. They trusted him to make the big decisions. Tai had been chosen as their leader- their captain. And a good captain keeps the teams morale high and optimistic.

For the good of the team, Tai had to be better.

Matt firmly gripped Tai's hand and they shook on it.

It was too late anyway.

Tai had promised.

And now he had to see it through.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Joe no longer felt terror gripping at his insides, now he just felt tired. But the night was far from over. They needed to plan- needed to sort out just what they were going to do next. Tai had already filled him and Sora in on all that Leomon had said. Joe was very doubtful about this whole 'chosen children' business, a feeling that was justified now that Devimon was defeated but they were still stuck here.

Sora and Mimi had decided to go wash Sarai's hoodie so it'd be dry by the time she woke.

If she woke.

Joe contemplated his patient again. Matt had gone to check on TK which thankfully left Joe alone. Sure, he felt for the blond but he was still a bit annoyed with him. Joe was discovering that he's really not fond of being doubted, which is exactly what Matt had done.

"How is she, doc?" Tai joked as he settled beside him.

Joe sighed, silently bidding goodbye to his solitude. Still, he answered the question with a tired whisper.

"To be honest, I don't know. Izzy swore to me the paste should help but I don't like trusting in the unknown."

Tai snorted at his words and muttered something along the lines of 'you're telling me'. Rather than feel indignant, Joe huffed with a bit of a laugh. Then the laughter faded into a deep frown as he contemplated Sarai's injury.

"It wasn't a deep cut. However she got injured, shouldn't have been as bad as it was. She shouldn't have bled as much. The wound wasn't that deep and it certainly wasn't infected. Are you sure you don't know how she got it?"

Tai looked solemn and appeared to be thinking hard.

"She told me it was just a scratch. There-…. There were a few moments where she looked like her arm hurt and I thought maybe….. She  **told** me it was just a scratch."

Joe secretly observes the younger boy with a frown. Tai stares at Sarai's arm with a worrying intensity that he's only seen his dad wear on bad days. Days when, despite his efforts, his patient still died. Joe then notices how tightly Tai has clenched his fists, and thinks he understands.

He'd forgotten that blood can be rather traumatizing for some people not interested in the medical world.

"And it was, but whatever that black gear did- however she got it. It made things worse."

The two boys share looks of discontent at that particular news, but Joe continues to voice his concerns.

"I'm worried. The rest of us have been lucky not to suffer any open wounds. Shellmon and Seadramon's attacks on you and Matt could've ended worse. We're lucky the both of you only suffered bruises. From what Sora, Mimi and TK told me about what happened- Sarai was suffering hallucinations as well. Izzy's practically confirmed that the vegetation here is different due to the climate. What if our human molecular structure and that of the digimon's are so vastly different it affects us differently too!?"

Tai blinks at Joe's sudden spiel. He'd forgotten just how smart Joe was, too used to thinking of the older boy as a nervous worrywart. It's uncomfortably easy to simply forget that Joe came from a medical focused family who were pretty strict about grades and studying.

"So what's your point?" Tai prompts, struggling to understand Joe's line of thought.

"My point is, there is a chance our bodies will be affected and changed for better or worse the longer we remain in this world. Sarai's injury literally was a scratch but whatever it was exposed to almost killed her."

An ominous douse of fear fell over both boys. Joe was incredibly serious when he quietly stressed his next words to Tai.

"Tai, I know you've risked things before but this… We absolutely can't risk  ** _anyone_**  else suffering an open wound."

Tai suddenly feels a large amount of pressure on his shoulders. He's tempted to sarcastically snap back at Joe saying 'well I can't just wrap everyone in bubble wrap, Joe!' but he doesn't. He presses his lips tightly together and simply nods. Joe sags with stress but whispers that he'll keep quiet about his fears to the others and the conversation is dropped.

Tai thinks back to Sora's earlier cry about something not being fair.

He can't help but agree.

They're just kids…  ** _He's_** just a kid.

None of this is fair.

Just when Tai thought there'd be nothing else to worry or stress about for the night, Izzy returned. The red haired boy wore an expression that unnerved both boys. Izzy always looked rather serious, but in this moment the computer genius looked…. Slightly robotic.

"I've found something, and I think we all ought to take a look at it."

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

While the other children had crowded together. After he'd been assured by Joe Sarai would be fine and saw the blue haired boy make the numbing paste; Izzy wandered away. He needed to be alone. He needed to process the entire cluster of chaotic confusion and horrified terror the night had been filled with. He didn't go too far, just far enough not to be in the direct line of sight of the others.

Only then did he curl into himself and freak out.

Izzy had never felt this much terror before- he'd never been this emotionally overwhelmed and off balanced. Usually, he'd simply drown himself in his computer programs and research. But this was too much and still too fresh to simply ignore. This was worse than the night he'd found out he was adopted.

He didn't cry.

He just curled tightly into a ball and hugged himself. Eventually, his mind calmed and the night's events no longer terrified him as much. Bit by bit, Izzy re-evaluated all the ways they'd been at a disadvantage tonight. He reasoned with himself all the ways what happened was not his fault. He logically deduced why such things had occurred.

He desperately clung to the probability that Sarai was going to wake up completely fine.

The fear ebbed away but in its place festered a hot bubbling of anger.

Izzy rarely felt angry. He often got irritated, occasionally felt annoyed and was no stranger to frustration. But anger wasn't an emotion he enjoyed indulging in. He didn't like how clouded his mind felt and especially hated the burning sensation that built behind his eyes.

But that was exactly what he felt in the moment.

Angry.

He was angry at everything- The aliens or whatever brought them here, Devimon for being evil, Sarai for being hurt, the others for being so loud, the digimon for not getting back up to save Patamon, at Patamon for sacrificing himself, for TK being so little. Izzy was just angry- but he was mostly angry at himself.

Why couldn't he help? Why did he freeze like some bug ridden program? Why couldn't he stop Mimi from crying and protect TK? Why had he let himself stand there terrified all over again? Why had he expected Tentomon to come to his rescue?

That last question in particular haunted Izzy.

He considered himself quite independent for his age, prided himself in it really. He didn't like the expectant feeling he'd had that Tentomon was going to save him. To him, the thought was unfair and illogical. Tentomon had been needed at the other digimon's sides, and Izzy could protect himself.

Still…..it bothered him.

A sniffling sound caught his attention and he tensed in place. The sound was familiar and he couldn't ignore his curiosity for long. Izzy carefully followed the sniffling sound until he discovered the source. He wasn't sure what to do when he found the cause.

Tentomon had tried to hide behind one of the bushes, but his crying was louder than he probably wanted. The bug digimon had a similar idea to his human partner and sought a moment of solitude from the others.

Losing Patamon had a deep effect on all of the digimon, but none more than Tentomon.

Matt and TK might have been brothers but among the digimon, it wasn't Gabumon who looked after Patamon. From the moment they'd all hatched, Tentomon had looked after the mischievous piglet digimon. It was Tentomon who comforted and assured Patamon on those long nights where the waiting seemed endless. It was Tentomon who played games with Patamon and ensured the digimon was always happy.

The digimon had their own set of roles, responsibilities and dynamics. Ones their human had yet to notice.

Patamon was Tentomon's responsibility and he'd failed him.

"Tentomon?" Izzy softly called, not wanting to startle the digimon.

Tentomon spun about with shock but at seeing it was Izzy, he relaxed. The bug digimon tried to hide that he was crying but the tears wouldn't stop.

"Izzy! Oh, I'm sorry. I'm- Uh- this is-"

"Tentomon," Izzy repeated with a sympathetic tone.

Tentomon felt ashamed and embarrassed. He had never wanted his human partner to see him in such a state. He was supposed to be Izzy's protector, but how is Izzy supposed to trust him if he's crying like a complete baby.

Then Izzy did something strange, something Tentomon found unexpected.

"It's the pollen." Izzy blurted with a tone of certainty that left no argument.

"What?"

"The pollen in the air. It must be affecting your hyper senses and causing your eyes to water. Don't worry about it humans get allergies too."

Izzy began to mutter something about the bushes and their leaves, but Tentomon was just staring at him. He could feel it through the connection between him and Izzy. The warm buzzing tingle of sympathy and concern. Tentomon had always been sensitive, always able to feel so much emotion he never knew what to do with it or how to handle it. Which is why he begins to cry earnestly, but not out of grief. This time he cries out of joy.

"Of course it's the pollen!" he exclaims.

The two partners share a secretive smile with one another as they discuss the properties of the bushes around them. Their midway through a theory on how the fibre's on the bush leaves affect Tentomon's chemical make-up when a beeping sound comes from Izzy's digivice.

Izzy quickly reaches for the device and his brows furrow with confused curiosity. The screen is blinking with the words 'Incoming' flashing on screen before show casing what looked like a map with an arrow.

"Huh? I wonder what this is supposed to mean." Izzy absently wondered.

"It looks like a map! What do you think, Izzy? Should we tell the others?" Tentomon added.

Izzy frowned with deep thought, considering his choice.

Sarai was still out of it and when he'd left, the tension among the others was pretty bad. TK was sleeping and being carefully watched over by the digimon, so he should be okay. However, Izzy still hesitated. According to Leomon and the ancient descriptions, the holy device was supposed to act as a helping tool between the chosen children and the digital world.

Maybe he should…..

Tentomon's patience and trust was rewarded with Izzy's determined nod.

"I think we should check it out for ourselves first. If anything goes wrong the others will at least get a warning."

Tentomon nodded in agreement. Of course, if anything went wrong Tentomon would fight whatever evil they faced so Izzy could warn the others. It's not the best plan but it's a good one, at least the digimon thought so. The two follow the map and find that the trial ends back by the mountain side. The events of the night are still too fresh, that it causes both Izzy and Tentomon to freeze in place. Izzy can still see the dark stain on the dirt where the black and red blood oozed from Sarai's arm.

"Izzy….what next?" Tentomon prompts snapping the red haired boy out of his haze.

"Here, under this. The signal is strongest here."

Together, they dig and eventually they uncover something metal. It's circular in shape and embedded deep in the ground. Izzy blinks in shock at the technological discovery and Tentomon is quick to answer his unspoken question.

"I don't know what it is, but it must be okay if it's connected to the digivice."

Izzy frowns in thought but nods in agreement. The both of them begin to inspect the metal contraption, and discover a bunch of wires and a strange little panel with outlets labelled in digicode.

"I suppose you have no idea what this means too?" Izzy mumbles to Tentomon who only nods to confirm.

"Should we tell the others now?" Tentomon prompts.

Izzy considers it again, but still says no.

"We will, but not yet. I want to be sure we have a better idea of what we're dealing with. We haven't had the best luck and I'm not liking our odds. I'll try and see if I can de-code what the script on the side means using what I learned from the temple."

Tentomon doesn't argue and he stands guard with watchful eyes as Izzy sets up his computer and begins to type.

After a couple of minutes, Izzy's made a breach and he lets out a triumphant cheer.

"Way to go Izzy. I knew you could do it."

"Thanks Tentomon. But seriously this was probably the hardest code sequence I'd ever…"

Izzy's brows furrowed as he started to understand just what he'd manged to crack. According to his translations, and the serial sequence on his screen this was some sort of communicator. Izzy clicked about his screen a bit more and his eyes widened at the mapped out display.

"What is it Izzy?" Tentomon questioned as he didn't really understand what Izzy was looking at.

To the digimon, it just looked like a bunch of squiggly lines. Izzy didn't answer, but a few more clicks had him frowning until eventually the expression he wore seemed very serious.

"We need to show the others."

Tentomon managed to persuade Izzy to leave him behind to watch over everything. He pushed for the boy to go tell the others. It gave Tentomon enough time to focus on himself and steel himself for when he saw the rest of his hatch mates. Tentomon caught sight of one lone feather on the ground and felt his heart quiver but he forced himself to ignore the painful ache.

Tokomon was going to hatch again and Izzy needed him.

Tentomon wasn't going to let anything else hurt his most precious and important friends ever again.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

They moved Wanyamon, TK and Patamon's egg to where Sarai was laid out. All of them were hesitant to leave the four alone, even if it was for a few minutes, but Izzy said it was important. Joe considered a lot of things important, but Izzy was unusually serious- not his usual focused self. A scary sort of serious.

They followed Izzy and curiously marvelled at the strange metal thing in the ground. There were wires connecting it to Izzy's computer and patiently waiting on guard was Tentomon.

"What is that thing?" Mimi questioned with a wrinkled nose of unimpressed observation.

"It looks like some sort of transporter, like on Star trek." Matt added.

"YOU watch Star Trek?" Tai pointed out with obvious shock.

Matt glared at the goggle wearing boy. All of them could see the red climbing of heat from his neck to his ears.

"NO! TK thought they were cool and forced me to watch a few episodes with him."

Sora looked closely at Izzy's computer screen, opting to ignore the boys. She frowned with confusion before speaking.

"What does all of this even mean?"

"Izzy, is this another one of your attempts to prove aliens are involved?" Joe huffed with a frown.

"Aliens!? Where?" Mimi yelped looking about with fear.

Joe tried to hide the twitch his lips gave. Mimi was a good actress, but not that great, at least not to Joe. After he'd caught her crying, Joe and Mimi had gotten closer. They shared their own little secret jokes that the others never seemed to pick up on. It made them giddy to know they knew each other better than the rest.

They both hurt deeply whenever they'd be treated as the group's worrywart and girly airhead. So rather than fight the assumption, they just played into it. Why argue when the others wouldn't believe them anyway.

They didn't believe them about Sarai.

"Close, but not quite. From what I've managed to discover, this is something like a communicator. A phone if you really want to be simple about." Izzy distractedly informed as his fingers typed.

A cloud of silence descended among all of them as they realized just what Izzy was implying.

"You mean, whatever this is can allow us to call for help?" Tai clarified with a serious tone.

Gone was Tai's usual easy going attitude and in place was the boy they all trusted to lead them. Izzy nodded his head in confirmation, which prompted Matt to speak up with an aggressive attitude.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and call someone!?" the blond growled while Mimi nodded her head in support.

"It's not that simple." Izzy glared.

"Then make it simple." Mimi snapped.

"Hey! Ease up you two. Okay, now Izzy, explain why it isn't so simple."

Despite Sora's interference, she agreed with Mimi and Matt. But she knew better than to think arguing and fighting would get them anywhere. She just wanted to go home. Instead of Izzy, it was Joe who seemed to puzzle it out.

"Well, we'd already decided that were probably no longer on Earth. If that's the case then anyone we try to call from home probably won't get the message. I don't know about the rest of you, but my parents definitely don't know the number for the digital world. Would our government even accept a call from some other planet?"

Izzy relaxed and gave a grateful nod towards Joe while the others were contemplating what he'd said. Tai still hadn't said anything, neither had the digimon who'd quietly watched from their partner's sides. Agumon shared a glance with Tai but neither said a word.

"There's something else…" Izzy quietly added.

"What?" Sora prompted feeling a little anxious because of Izzy's expression.

Right on cue all their digivices began to beep and on their screens was a written message. Izzy held his device up and pointed to the screen of his computer which mirrored the message.

"Someone's been trying to call  **us**  for the past hour or so."

They all watched the blinking devices before they finally looked to Tai.

"What should we do Tai?" Matt questioned.

Tai contemplated and thought incredibly hard about his decision. The beeping and message disappeared for 5 seconds before it started up again. Tai looked directly at Izzy and gave a firm nod.

"Answer it."

With a simple tap at his key board, the circle metal port lit up and within its beam of light an image began to take shape. The caller looked human, dressed in funny robes and incredibly old. But the children dared not to get their hopes up as the Digital World had taught them nothing is ever as it seems.

"So…. You are the chosen children. Quite impressive, seeing that you've defeated Devimon." The man spoke.

The children regarded the man with suspicion and none of them let their guards down for a second. They didn't know this strange old man, and they definitely didn't trust him. As if he could sense their mistrust and guarded aura's the old man gave a shuddering sigh.

Then Tai stepped forward, his head high and his eyes narrowed with suspicion. At his side Agumon made quite an intimidating presence, with his stare so intense and his claws gleaming sharp.

"Who are you?" Tai bluntly demanded.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The old man didn't answer immediately and Matt was quick to add his own opinion.

"One of Devimon's allies?" the blond accused.

"No need to worry. I'm on your side." The elderly man tried to assure.

"It's amazing to finally see another human besides us in this world," Sora commented with a smile.

Only the children and their digimon could hear the sarcasm in her tone and see the pinched distrust in her eyes. The elderly man smiled kindly at Sora, but it did nothing to soften her expression.

"But although I'm human, at the same time I am not."

"Then what are you?" Mimi bluntly asked.

The elderly man turned his head to look at her sharply. He stared at her for a measurable span of seconds but Mimi didn't falter under his stare. She blinked back at him with patient earnest eyes that outwardly expressed nothing but innocence. Eventually, he replied, not entirely answering her question.

"My name is Gennai."

As Gennai explained how he'd been trying to contact them, the children took that moment to study him. None of them felt particularly at ease with Gennai's friendly tone and smiling regard. Izzy carefully picked apart every word Gennai said, his mind racing to figure out the old man's reasons and whether they were honest or not.

"Contacting us….huh" Joe muttered as he fidgeted with his glasses.

"But from where?" Izzy questioned.

As Sora questioned how long Gennai had been in this world, Izzy glanced at his laptop screen. So he'd been right, there is more to this world then just this island. It was completely incidental but Izzy had managed to trace the line network by hacking into the port communicator's signal. He tensely watched Gennai, worried that perhaps the old man might know and would react badly to such knowledge.

Then Mimi asked the question, they'd all been wondering.

"Were you the one who called us here?"

Gennai seemed to pause, a millisecond too long for any of their liking.

"No, I was not."

His answer felt like a lie and then Sora pressed on with her line of questioning.

"Then who?"

"Well…."

All of the children and digimon held their breath in wait. The anticipation was slowly killing them and making them nervous.

"I forgot."

Mimi was the most vocal with her groan and Sora's glare rivalled Matt's. Joe wasn't keen to simply accept such an answer and he asked a question of his own.

"Well, do you know what we have to do to get back home?" He irately snapped.

"I…. don't know that either." Gennai admitted but that was the last straw for Matt.

"Is there anything you  _do_ know?" the blond sneered.

"What the heck, Gramps! We can't depend on you at all." Tai added with agreement.

Both boys glared at the old man with contempt, but Gennai didn't look phased by their hostility.

"But I'm depending on you."

All of the children tensed at Gennai's words and shared glances among each other in agreement.

They did not like this at all.

They listened to Gennai's words, instructing them to come to Server Continent and to collect a bunch of tags and crest that Devimon had hidden. But each child focused on a different part of Gennai's instruction.

Again, Matt hated that they weren't being given a choice. Gennai spoke to them with expectation, as if they were obligated to go defeat another evil. He was tempted to repeat Sarai's words of it all being a 'coincidental assumption' about them being the chosen children.

Sora felt her heart sink the longer she listened. More danger, more evil, more fighting. How dare this Gennai call on them as if they had some sort of responsibility to help!? Sure, the digimon have protected and helped them in more ways than Sora could ever repay. But, she trusted and knew Biyomon and the others. Who did this Gennai think he is? He spoke to them like they were soldiers, as if they had a duty to serve.

They were just kids.

Joe felt his temper begin to rise. The longer Gennai spoke the angrier he started to feel. Fight!? This Gennai wanted them to Fight!? They BARELY survived Devimon! They almost lost Sarai and TK- they DID lose Patamon. And this Gennai had the audacity to ask them to fight again!? No. No. NO! Joe refused to have to potentially bandage and deal with something like tonight all over again.

Izzy, while outwardly appearing calm, was inwardly having a complete meltdown. 'I'll send you a map through your laptop' Gennai had said. How?! Had Izzy been hacked and never once noticed. He didn't even give Gennai his email address! When? For how long? Was it back in the Factory? The temple? Or just now when he'd connected his laptop to the port communicator? How corrupted are his files?

But Tai's attention was stuck on what the Tags and crests would allow them to do. 'Achieve a higher evolution'? Was this Gennai telling the truth? Could they really trust him? Tai clenched his jaw as he couldn't forget about the crests and tags. The digimon would get stronger. Agumon could get stronger. If Agumon is able to get stronger then they'd be safer. They'd be better protected. They needed to get those crests and tags.

None of this is what Mimi cared about. She didn't care about these tags or crests. She didn't care about some evil they needed to fight. The pink loving girl only cared about one thing and she was determined to get some answers. She cut off Gennai's words and stomped her foot with demand.

"You want us to fight! You want us to find some stupid necklaces! I don't care about any of that. I don't even know who you think you are. Gennai? Gennai who? Why should we listen to you? Why should we help you!? SO far fighting evil has done nothing but almost KILL us! Devimon almost killed Sarai! He killed Patamon! YOU-"

"Mimi." Tai firmly called while pulling her back.

Mimi shrugged off his hold and stomped her foot again, with her hands curled tightly.

"NO! I HATE THIS! I'M TIRED OF RUNNING! I don't want to keep being scared! I don't want to see Sarai bleeding! I don't want to fight!" She screeched with tears falling from her eyes.

Palmon comforted her human partner best she could, but no one could blame Mimi for speaking her mind. Not when they all agreed with what she felt and thought. But Matt, Izzy and Joe weren't watching Mimi. The three boys had their eyes carefully trained on Gennai's reaction. It could have been a blip, perhaps a static interference of some sort. Maybe the connection briefly weakened? But just for a second during Mimi's speech, when she mentioned Sarai, the three boys swore they saw Gennai's eyes open ever the slightest. They thought Gennai's expression had tightened with something dark.

But still….Maybe it hadn't.

"Devimon took the crests and had them scattered in different places. Where? I don't know. I suspect it was somewher-"

Gennai talked on as if Mimi hadn't said anything. Something that didn't sit well with Matt, Joe or Tai. Then the connection seemed to break up, the image began to get wavy and fizzle. There was a static sort of noise and Gennai's words started to get cut off and choppy.

"Ah-..Devi-…There- …Interfera-…Find-…."

The port completely shut down and the children stared at the contraption with wide eyes. Tai looked to Izzy when his computer pinged with an alert. The red headed boy wore a strange expression as he tapped at his laptop.

"What happened?" Tai inquired but Izzy had his eyes narrowed at his screen.

"Apparently….. There's been some sort of interference."

"What do you mean by apparently?" Tai frowned.

Izzy turned his computer around displaying the strong signal waves and the email alert from Gennai.

"Apparently," Izzy scoffed with a bland shrug of his shoulders.

The children huffed with contempt but Joe summed up what they were all feeling, while folding his arms.

"I don't like or trust him."

"He basically hung up on us!" Mimi agreed with a sneer.

"What do we do now Tai?" Sora asked.

Tai frowned as he thought over their entire conversation with Gennai. He looked up at the sky and took note of just how late it was getting. Tai let out a heavy sigh, and knew they were all too pent up to really think things through. They needed to sleep on it, figure out just how and what they were going to do.

They especially needed to rest after all that had happened tonight.

"For now, we should make camp. We can talk about it more in the morning."

It was obvious that some, like Matt, Mimi and Izzy, disagreed. But they all listened and began to head back to where Sarai, TK, Wanyamon and Patamon's egg were resting. Every child's mind was heavy with thought, but Tai couldn't stop thinking about those tags and crests.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

With their humans all deep in thought, it was incredibly easy for the digimon to sneak away for their own meeting. Joe had volunteered for first watch, which made things all the easier for the digimon. Gomamon's partner never thought twice about the digimon clustering together. Always ignoring their sudden disappearance and never telling the other children. Gomamon once had asked Joe if he ever wanted to know what they got up to. But the blue head had only shook his head and said it's none of his business.

"Everyone is entitled to their privacy. With how often we humans get all caught up in talking about home, it's only fair you guys get some time to yourselves."

In Gomamon's opinion it just proved that Joe was the best partner compared to everyone else.

Good old reliable Joe.

But of course, he kept that opinion to himself. Only because he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings with the truth.

"What are you sitting there being all smug about?" Biyomon huffed as she poked at him with her wing.

"Nothing. I just feel good." Gomamon defended with a cheeky grin.

"How can you feel good after everything that happened tonight?" Palmon whispered with a shaky voice.

The light mood among them immediately darkened as they were reminded of what happened. Tentomon was as stiff as a rock, Gabumon had curled into himself and Palmon's leaves looked wilted.

"Hey! Don't ask me that like I forgot! Just because I felt a little good doesn't mean I'm not sad!" Gomamon snapped feeling cornered and insulted.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it like that Gomamon." Biyomon tried to assure but Gomamon still felt insulted.

"Well then what was she trying to say, Huh? You think I don't care? You think I'm not hurting too!"

"We all hurt. It hasn't stopped hurting. It hurts so much." Tentomon whispered with a croak.

Gabumon immediately tugged Tentomon into a tight hug but the bug digimon didn't cry. He'd cried his heart out already, now he just felt numb. Gomamon's temper cooled immediately after hearing Tentomon speak. Palmon sniffed before she apologised, her eyes damp with tears.

"I didn't mean it that way Gomamon. I'm sorry. But tonight was just…"

Gomamon swallowed and whispered his own response.

"Yeah…. Tonight was bad. But Tokomon will be back, we have his egg. He's going to come back! He's not gone!"

Gabumon added his own opinion with a low rumbling whine.

"You know there's no guarantee he'll be the same."

"Sure he will! We'll just have to-to make sure he is! We'll raise him and- and remind him and-"

"Gomamon, don't be naïve." Biyomon cut in.

"Tokomon won't remember the wait. Even if he did retain his memories, he won't remember the feeling. The endless waiting for something we didn't even know was real. He'll hatch again with TK already here. We should be glad he'll forget what the endless waiting was like." Tentomon elaborated.

Gomamon growled as Gabumon summed up everything with a solemn tone.

"He won't be our Tokomon, not really."

Frustrated, Gomamon turned to the one digimon who had yet to say anything at all. He angrily directed his words at Agumon who was staring silently up at the night sky.

"And what do you think Agumon? You're being weirdly quiet. Don't you have anything to say!?"

Agumon seemed to ignore Gomamon's question which only made the seal digimon angrier. Palmon cautiously approached Agumon, whispering his name with a soft inquiring tone.

"Agumon?"

When Agumon spoke he continued to stare at the sky.

"I didn't want this. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Wanyamon's back, but Tokomon's gone. I didn't want a trade, I wanted them both. Why did Tokomon do that? Didn't he trust me- trust us to save everyone? Why?"

They'd all quietly crowded closer to their oldest hatch mate. Settling into a circle as they usually did since their hatching. Only then did Agumon look away from the stars with eyes full of question and painful heart ache.

"Did you see? None of us could move. All of us- no matter how hard we tried, we were all beaten to the ground. Not Sarai. Wanyamon's human was dripping with that red stuff- she was hurt and seeing something that wasn't there. But still…somehow she still protected TK. Why? Why her and not us?"

"Their different. We've all felt it. There's something different about them." Gabumon said.

"Is that why Wanyamon digivolved into that scary beast?" Palmon questioned.

"He didn't see any of us. I could tell by the look in his eyes. He didn't know any of us- he almost crushed the humans. He was so angry." Biyomon whispered.

But Gomamon and Tentomon were quicker, much faster thinkers. They'd quickly puzzled out just where Agumon was going with his talk.

"You want to find the crests." Gomamon accused.

"Tai wants to, I can feel it." Agumon admitted.

"Izzy doesn't trust this Gennai. He makes him nervous and I don't like him at all." Tentomon disagreed.

"But he wants us to fight! We barely won against Devimon and we lost Tokomon!" Palmon argued remembering Mimi's tears during her passionate outburst.

"The crests are supposed to make us stronger." Biyomon reasoned in support of Agumon.

"'Supposed to' doesn't mean it will!" Gabumon pointed out.

"We don't know it won't. Besides, it's up to the humans to decide what will happen." Agumon shrugged.

Gomamon glared with an angry huff.

"Then what's the point of us even talking about it. It's obvious isn't it? You're human already decided. We're going to have to find those crests and tags."

Agumon regarded them all sternly, ensuring they understood just how serious he was in the moment.

"We're talking about it because I'm not going to lose another one of us like we did tonight. We're talking about it because I don't want anyone here thinking its okay to do something like Patamon did tonight. We're talking about it because I don't want to trade off one for another again."

Agumon's eyes began to shine, but the rest of his hatch mates had already begun to cry.

"We're talking about it because we need to be better. Not just for our humans but for Wanyamon and Tokomon. No matter the fight, no matter the problem, we all have to trust in one another. We have to believe we can win every fight no matter the cost. So long as we do it together."

Gabumon held Agumon's stare and held his paw out in the middle.

"So long as we do it together," he vowed.

Tentomon placed his own arm on top of Gabumon's, repeating the vow. Next was Palmon, then Biyomon, then Agumon until it was only Gomamon left. They all looked to the seal digimon who was staring at them all with wide eyes of turmoil.

"What if we can't? What if we have no choice? What if something happens and we lose again?"

Gabumon gives Gomamon a wide squinting smile of assurance before he speaks.

"Well…. I guess we'll just have to do that together too."

Usually, Gomamon would laugh at such a joke, but this is no time for laughing. This is serious and so the seal digimon sighs heavily- if his voice trembles no one calls him out on it.

"So long as we do it together."

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The digimon are too caught up with the importance of their vowed pact to hear or sense the small shadow hiding in the bushes. The little creature quickly scurries away before anyone could sense them. They race and manage to sneak back to where it's expected to be. Just as it burrowed itself among the warm leaves, a groggy voice called to them.

"Nngh, Wanyamon? Where'd you go?" TK whispered in a sleepy tone.

"Bathroom," Wanyamon lied.

The cat dog digimon curled its tail around Sarai and rubbed its furry cheeks against Patamon's egg.

"Okay…. Y-you should sleep…." TK drowsily mumbled.

Wanyamon mumbled his agreement but his mind was filled with other thoughts. The furry digimon looks at his partner with quiet contemplation. Wanyamon almost lost Sarai and the terror he felt had replaced the anger that had festered in him. If it weren't for Patamon's sacrifice he would have lost more than just a hatch mate.

He would have lost his best friend.

Never again.

It won't happen again.

Wanyamon refuses to see it happen again.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

None of the children slept well.

Neither did any of the digimon.

The sun had barely risen, but all of the children were already awake. Tai had last watch, but both he and Agumon barely spoke during their watch. The two had too much on their minds to talk about Tai's home or joke. Both of them already had their minds set on what they wanted to do next. They spent their time thinking of how they could convince the others.

Izzy said nothing after he'd woken up. He simply grabbed his computer and typed away at it as usual. By his side, Tentomon was a quiet comfort. Though, there was an intensity of focus between the two that hadn't been there before. An almost obsessive drive as they stared at Izzy's computer screen.

"Gomamon and I will go fishing for something to eat. Sarai will probably be starved when she wakes up." Joe mumbled before making his way to the river.

"I guess Mimi and I can go gather some fruits and stuff." Sora agreed, she looked to the quiet brooding blond.

"Do you want to come too, Matt?"

Matt gave a stiff shake of his head, but no one bothered him any further. TK and Wanyamon were still fast asleep near Sarai, so Gabumon and he watched over them, while the others scattered.

"What's wrong Matt?" Gabumon lowly whispered.

The striped digimon could sense his partner's strange twisting emotions. Matt had his gloved hand resting on TK's hat, as if to remind the little boy of his presence while he slept. Matt was staring at Sarai with a look Gabumon couldn't recognise or understand. It wasn't a mean look, but it was still dark and heavy.

"It should have been me. TK's my brother so why-….. Why could she move to protect him while I could only scream?"

Matt didn't know it, but he'd asked the one question that haunted the digimon. Suddenly, Gabumon could understand exactly what Matt was feeling. Unfortunately, none of the digimon knew the answer to such a question.

"I don't know. But I know it won't happen again." Gabumon whispered.

Matt looked at his digimon and the two shared a silent understanding. Only then did Matt soften and give a small thankful smile to his partner.

"Yeah…. We won't let it happen again."

TK began to stir awake just in time for the others to return with the food. As they ate, the air between them all seemed lighter, more determined and sure.

"I think we should go find those crests." Tai admitted.

He looked each and every other child in the eye, waiting for their input. To his surprise, none looked at him with disagreement.

"I do too." Sora confessed.

"While the Island is familiar and safe, it's clear the way to get home isn't here." Matt added.

"We'd have to figure out a way to cross the ocean. Again, we'll be facing a lot of the unknown." Izzy warned turning his computer screen so they can all see the map.

Mimi frowned still looking upset but it wasn't her who spoke next. TK wasn't sure exactly what everyone was talking about. He just knew it was about leaving. He hugged Patamon's egg closer to his chest and absently rubbed at the shell. Patamon and Sarai weren't scared- not when they fought so hard to protect him. TK knew that if Patamon was here, he'd want to go to wherever this Server Continent was.

"We'll find a way. If Patamon were here, he'd want to go. So let's go." TK determined.

Matt tightened his hold around TK. The older blond didn't like that TK had agreed, but it was for the best. They were walking towards danger- into a fight against something that could definitely kill them. This time they were doing it willing. Though, this time, Matt had no plans to freeze in place and be so helpless again.

Mimi had meant it when she said she didn't care. This was nowhere near what she wanted to do. But never the less she sighed and gave her agreement.

"These necklaces better look prettier in person. They looked horrible when Gennai showed us." She huffed.

All eyes turned to Joe who had yet to say anything. The glasses wearing boy wasn't looking at any of them. Instead he was hard at thought considering their options and their best next move. When he did speak, it with a tone that left no room for argument.

"I don't want us leaving until I'm certain Sarai is completely healed."

"Done." Tai immediately agreed

All of the children nodded in agreement, and for some a bit of awe. As Joe, Tai and Izzy began to hash out the details on how they could get off the island. The other children marvelled at the clear leadership Joe was showing.

"He's really coming out of his shell," Matt muttered with a bit of a smirk as he watched Joe argue with Izzy.

"I like it. Tai's been trying to do it alone, but every captain needs a vice." Sora giggled with a soft smile.

Mimi laughed as she twirled her hair, her eyes bright with pride as they watched Joe and Izzy groan at Tai's suggestion.

"It's Joe. Of course he's the perfect vice. He worries enough about everything to make sure we're well prepared."

The three let out a laugh before they joined the others.

Together, the children hashed out their plan to travel to Server Continent.

All they had to do was wait for Sarai to wake.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

When Sarai did wake, it was to a warm ticklish cuddle of something by her neck. She groaned with confusion, unsure of what she'd been doing last. Then slowly, fuzzy images and flashes of the night came to the forefront of her mind. She remembered the screams of someone's name, a lot of tears and her arm being incredibly painful.

"Sarai?" the cuddling warmth named with a hopeful squeak.

Sarai pulled back so she could see the owner of the voice. Her eyes widened before softening with pure affection. She immediately reached out a hand to card through Wanyamon's fuzzy soft fur. The little digimon purred and nuzzled into her touch, causing her to giggle.

"Hey, you're cute again." She teased.

Wanyamon pouted with a huff.

"Saarai!" he whined as his furry cheeks grew red.

But she couldn't help but pull him into a nuzzling cuddle. While Gaomon was undoubtedly a great help while travelling, there was something adorably innocent about Wanyamon. Sarai loved her digimon partner no matter what form he took, but she had a soft spot for Wanyamon. Their giggles must have been loud of enough for someone to hear, as she heard the crunching sound of footsteps approach.

She sat up with Wanyamon still cuddled close in her arms, blinking in wonder about where she was.

"Gah! Sarai! You're awake!" TK cried pausing in place with wide eyes.

"Yeah TK I- Omph!"

Sarai's words were cut off as the young blond ran into her arms and crushed her in a squeezing hug. Wanyamon had slipped out of the way, curling around the egg that TK had carefully put down before diving to hug her. Sarai could only return the hug despite her confusion.

"TK?" she awkwardly prompted but he shook his head and tightened his grip.

It took her a few seconds to realize the boy was crying. TK's shoulders were trembling as he clung to her tightly. Sarai could only awkwardly do her best to assure the younger boy that everything was fine. She kept darting her eyes over to Wanyamon for a clue on why TK was so upset. Her digimon partner only curled closer around the egg and said nothing.

Sarai had never been particularly observent. She had a habit of getting lost in her thoughts and books, easily forgetting about the people and world around her. She liked escaping to her mind where she could get lost in things she knew and what she wished she knew.

Comforting a crying child was not something she knew.

And she panicked.

"H-Hey TK.. heey it's okay. Sh! S-Sh!? Everythings fine…..I um…." She mumbled while awkwardly patting his back.

She prayed for one of the other kids to suddenly appear. She couldn't help but wonder where Matt is and why he hadn't appeared yet. She clicks when she wonders why Patamon hasn't appeared either. Sarai looks over to where Wanyamon continues to rub and curl around an orange and white striped egg.

Her heart drops to her stomach and she tightens her hold around TK.

"TK….. what happened to Patamon?" she weakly whispers.

TK pulls back with wet eyes and stares up at her with confusion. Sarai instinctively tries to dry his face with her sleeves, only to realize she's not wearing her hoodie. Then her eyes catch sight of the white bandage securely wrapped around her arm.

"Y-you mean… you don't remember what h-happened?" TK warbles.

Sarai feels her heart slowly start to race with panic again. She tries to recall the events of yesterday but only gets strange flashes of images that don't make sense. Crying faces, her mother and father, a giant black dog and an angel. She also recalls the crying screams of TK's name, and her own.

"I-I…."

"SARAI! You're awake!" Sora gasps as she drops the make shift bowl in her hands.

The water inside it spills and seeps into the ground. Sarai can barely get a word out before Sora is running off to call for Joe and tell the others.

"T-TK?" she prompts once more.

The little boy looks up to her with sad eyes filled with gratitude. He picks up the egg once more and hugs it tightly before he answers.

"You saved us. You saved us, Sarai. You both saved me."

Only then, does Sarai make sense of what happened to Patamon. Tears well in her eyes and a tight gripping squeeze wraps around her heart. This time, its her who pulls TK and the egg into a tight hold, while Wanyamon stands on guard.

The others arrive only to find the four in such position.

They leave the four to their moment and simply wait.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai marvels at Joe's easy skill with her bandage. She had insisted that she felt fine and there was no need to waste anymore medical supplies, but the older boy had stared her into submission. Sora had also been of no help, as she had purposely pretended not to notice Sarai's pleas for assistance. She had never gotten to know Joe and Sora back at camp, but so far she's concluded the two played Doctor and Nurse extremely well.

Too well for her liking.

"Have you felt dizzy? Does your scratch itch? Are you suffering any sort of pain when you move? Have you seen anything strange lately?" Joe interrogates with a writing pad in hand.

Sarai feels overwhelmed and feels her cheeks grow hot with embarrassed frustration. She's glad Mimi had been bossy enough to get the others to leave so they wouldn't witness her check up.

"I told you I feel fine!" she insists but Joe levels her with a stare that makes her fidget uncomfortably.

"Sarai is thirsty and her arm itches a little bit where her scratch is." Wanyamon informs with a serious nod.

"Wha- HEY! How did you- Ah!" she protests but Sora has already pulled up her arm to inspect the scratch.

"Well…. I don't think she's had a reaction to that paste. What do you think Joe?" Sora muses

Joe prods a bit at the scratch before nodding.

"I guess we just need to clean it and re-wrap it."

Sora and him share a nod and work together to start cleaning and bandaging her arm. Sarai feels bewildered and confused, as if the world was suddenly spinning much too fast. So she falls quiet and tries to make sense of everything.

She waits until Joe leaves to try and find out what happened. She once again asks Sora to explain. Sora looks at her strangely, the expression she wears is something Sarai can't seem to name. When Sora finally speaks its with a whisper….. her eyes are distant and her tone emotional. Sarai listens and only feels a vague sense of familiarity with the recount, but still can't recall much.

"….. Patamon saved us all but he….." Sora doesn't finish her sentence.

She doesn't have to.

Sarai stares at her arm, at the simple scratch that caused her so much pain. She felt a nudge against her other arm and pulled Wanyamon close. Sarai and Sora fell into a digestive silence. When Sora had finished cleaning her arm, Sarai speaks.

"I'm sorry… If I-…. Maybe if I had been-"

Sora shook her head and placed her hand on Sarai's shoulder, urging the girl to look at her. When Sarai met her stare, Sora smiled with as much reassurance as she can express.

"It's Devimon's fault. There isn't anything you need to apologize for."

While Sarai smiled and agreed with a bit of a laugh, only Wanyamon knew the truth.

Sarai didn't believe Sora at all.

But the digimon only huffed with determination.

Wanyamon was certain he'd prove to Sarai it really wasn't her fault.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"Wow, so this is what digimon consider to be a phone. Cool!" Sarai marveled after Tentomon explained.

"Actually, they call it a port communicator. I'm not exactly sure how far its reach stretches but the signal strength is incredible!" Izzy added.

Sarai gave a nod while the four of them nibbled on berries, and the others moved about and studied the trees. She felt a bit put out that everyone had practically ordered that she continue to rest. Even TK and Mimi argued against her doing anything.

"I told you all it was just a scratch! I'm fine! Joe and Sora wrapped it up and everything!" She pushed.

"No way. Joe will have my head if I say you can help. You're resting!" Tai argued with a stubborn glint in his eye.

For the first time since she's met the goggle wearing boy… Sarai found him incredibly annoying. To make matters worse, Matt was looming behind Tai's right shoulder with a stern glare mirrored by Joe on Tai's left. She suddenly felt ganged up on and looked to Mimi and Sora but realized both girls agreed with the boys.

Sarai suddenly remembered why she didn't like hanging with others.

"Guys, we're wasting daylight. If we want to get a move on and find those crests we need to stop with the arguing. I want to work some more on the port communicator, Sarai can help me while the rest of you stock up on supplies and get to work on a raft." Izzy logically cut in.

Sarai felt a spike of disbelieving irritation as she realized Izzy had just compromised with the others  _for_ **her**  sake.

Sarai didn't like it.

It reminded her too much of when-

"Sarai?" Tentomon prompted dragging her out of her thoughts.

Wanyamon had bounced after TK having decided to stick close with Patamon's egg. She was glad her little fuzzball had the others to distract himself with. She didn't want him to notice the slow rising irritation she'd been feeling since she'd woken up.

"Sorry Tentomon, I got a bit distracted. What did you say?"

Tentomon tilted his head and peered up at her with earnest eyes.

"I was asking if you were feeling okay."

Sarai's irritation returned but she hid it behind another smile. She reminded herself that Tentomon was just worried, but still struggled to keep the emotion at bay.

"I'm fine." She says but the both of them startle when Izzy interrupts.

"You were hallucinating."

"What?" she breathes as she looks at him with wide eyes.

"Yesterday, after Devimon attacked. You were mumbling and crying out for someone to stop."

Sarai felt her heart begin to pound wildly in her chest and her lungs struggled to inflate.

"You scared us. I suggest you get used to the treatment for the next couple of days."

As if timed, Wanyamon and TK came rushing over with a bag full of fruits.

"Sarai LOOK!" TK cheered.

Izzy resumed his typing as if he'd not said anything and Sarai gave to TK her full attention. But Sarai couldn't forget the look in Izzy's eyes when he spoke.

"Sarai?" Wanyamon prompted.

She smiled again feeling guilt in her stomach and an ache in her cheeks.

"I'm fine." She lied.

She forced the rising fear and panic to the deepest darkest depths of her mind. She tried to convince herself that Izzy's words didn't imply anything. She told herself that she was simply being paranoid. Convinced herself that nobody knows about her mother and father.

She didn't want them to.

Soon enough, Sarai managed to believe the silly lie.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

They were making progress, something Sarai was quite proud off. While the others and their digimon got to work on cutting down trees to make their raft, Sarai had tagged along with TK. It had been Izzy's suggestion after he noticed her lack of interest and slow mounting boredom.

The other boys, besides Izzy, were hard at work cutting branches and pushing logs. It was slow going but still progress. Mimi and Sora were in charge of collecting twine and other flexible material that could secure the log bits together. A fitting choice as Palmon would know best which plant stems and vines were useful and Biyomon could fly.

Sarai was sure the task they gave TK was a sneaky attempt at keeping the boy out of the way. Apparently, TK's job was to scout for edible snacks for lunch to maintain everyone's hard working energy. She couldn't help the small smile of amusement that tugged at her lips as she watched TK do his job with the utmost seriousness.

"Sarai, what are you doing?" TK questioned as he bustled over to where she was kneeling.

"Oh, um I just figured…. Well, since we're gathering food for the others, I thought we might as well take stock too."

TK tilted his head to the side with adorable confusion. She spied Wanyamon puffing out his chest before confidently explaining what she meant.

"Taking stock means she's making sure we have enough supplies and are certain of the exact amount we have. A good explorer always knows what and how much is in their back pack before and during their adventure."

TK's eyes widened with awe and she shuffled with minor embarrassment at his praising stare. She heard Izzy make a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort, but when she looked he was still staring at his screen.

"Wow! That's a great idea! Hey, why don't I go tell the others and get all the bags so we can take stock for everyone!"

Before Sarai could stop him, the younger blond had already raced off calling to the others. She wanted to shrink into herself. She really didn't want the others to think she was being bossy or worse….. thinking she was a know it all. Everyone had already been traveling together for a while, they probably had their own way of doing things. She was probably messing everything up.

"That's a smart suggestion." Tentomon praised but Sarai quickly shook her head.

"It's invasive. Its rude to search someone else's gear, someone might have something they don't want anyone to know about." She argued.

"I would agree if we weren't in the situation we're in now." Izzy wryly added.

Sarai looked to him with confusion and Izzy easily elaborated.

"Perhaps, if we were still on Earth that sort of manner would matter. Here in the digital world, we are trying to survive. The situation demands we be prepared to the highest degree possible. I think it's logical for us to collectively share our resources and keep stock if we are going to be travelling as a group. I don't understand why we never thought to do so before."

Sarai awkwardly played with her fingers as she mumbled her response.

"Maybe…a persons privacy is something to be respected. It is our right to privacy that separates us from other savages and the likes…"

Izzy blinked and wondered if Sarai was aware of the bitterness in her tone. Before he could point it out or further think on it, the rest of the group gathered with TK leading the way.

"Hey! I told everyone your idea Sarai! They all thought it was great and wanted to help."

"Eh! But what about the raft!? Surely it'll cut into the time we could have spent on the raft!?"

Mimi sighed with a loud groan as she collapsed next to Sarai and presented her bag. One by one, everyone started to sit in a circle with every bag in the center. Sarai could only watch everything happening with wide eyes.

"Oh who cares, we have plenty of time to make that stupid boat. If that Gennai guy really wanted us he would have  _sent_  us a boat along with his stupid email." Mimi carelessly said with a shrug.

Matt smirked and gave an agreeing nod.

"Gennai knows where we are. If we were working to meet a deadline he should have been of greater help." The older blond said.

Sarai couldn't help but grin at the pink loving girl. She really admired how Mimi never failed to confidently speak her mind, regardless of what anyone may think.

"I can't believe we didn't think to do this before." Sora added with a hum.

"Everyone had a lot on their minds, I don't think you should take it to heart." Gomamon piped from his place by Joe.

"Is this how you and Wanyamon managed to catch up with us?" Palmon innocently inquired.

Sarai didn't notice the strange way the group seemed to quiet down as she answered.

"Ah… Sort of. As it was just the two of us, Wanyamon and I decided it would be best if we traveled more at night rather than during the day."

"Why?" Tentomon questioned.

"Because it's easier to hide in the dark and Sarai could keep warm if she was still moving," Wanyamon piped.

Sarai blushed as the digimon seemed to stare at her for a long while. Thankfully, the awkward atmosphere disappeared when Joe unzipped his bag and started to take out whatever it held.

"We can eat lunch and do this at the same time." The older boy declared.

Together they got to work.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

By the end of lunch, the group was satisfied with their supply stock.

"Oh wow, I didn't even know I had that!"

"MIMI! WE COULD HAVE USED THIS AGES AGO!"

"Jeez Izzy, what kind of camp were you packing for?"

"I was told there would be computer activities, I had planned to sign up for every available outlet."

"Well….. I think you might have been duped."

"….Thank you for the confirmation Tai, truly….. I didn't notice."

"You're welcome."

"… I've also got another pack of band-aids, although I had no idea about the ointment! There's even a bit of thread-"

"Thread!? That means you also have a needle right? Oh that's brilliant. I'm good with sewing and stitching so if anything needs a quick patch up I can do it!"

"TK! Just how many snacks did you steal from the kitchens!"

"OH! I thought Patamon and I finished that ages ago."

"Wait a minute! Have you been hiding food all this time!?"

"No! Patamon and I put it aside for emergencies."

"I don't get what the big deal is. Joe's been hiding food since we started travelling."

"JOE!"

"IT WAS FOR EMERGENCIES!"

Sarai watched everyone with a quiet smile that only grew the longer she watched. The easy interaction among everyone caused her to feel warm. She felt Wanyamon cuddle closer in her lap and gave a soft giggle. It was still strange and uncomfortable, but her earlier irritation faded away.

She wasn't alone anymore… and it will take time to get used to that.

But, eventually she would.

And maybe….

Maybe when they make it back home, she could proudly tell her Papa that she made friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The digimon are actually harder for me to characterize than I thought. Their dynamics with their partners are so different and aren't as deep as canon. Gennai is going to be playing an interesting role from here on out. I'm not entirely sure the title and subtitle for this chapter fit, but I kept because I couldn't think of a better one. Next few chapters are going to focus alot on Sarai's struggles to work with a large group. Mostly because she's so used to being on her own and doing stuff for herself- regardless of danger. This stirs up a lot of frustration among some members of the group.
> 
> The digimon will experience a similar struggle with Wanyamon, who is incredibly different to the hatch-mate they remember. Keep in mind that Wanyamon braved the digital world before he found Sarai ALONE! He was a little bit jaded before he met Sarai and the trauma they've suffered together hasn't exactly helped.
> 
> [Episodes Covered: S1ep13, S1ep14]


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter isn't as long, but that's only because I liked where I ended it. I'm going to issue a warning, but I don't detail anything just allude and imply a lot of things. It's always better safe than sorry.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter addresses/alludes to implied themes of depression, self-harm, trauma and psychological issues stemming from abuse. READ AT OWN RISK!
> 
> ENJOY YOUR READ :)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: ANY AND ALL RECOGNIZABLE DIALOGUE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!

**Chapter 9: Across the Sea**

-  _She never hesitated and they never could decide if that was good or bad._

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai closed her eyes and savored the salty scent of the ocean sea. The rocking motions of their raft was soothing to feel, and the sloshing waves made her feel at peace. She couldn't help but let her mind drift for a bit, enjoying the momentary ease. It was the first time, since she'd fallen into the digital world, she truly felt somewhat at peace.

"Wah! Poyomon be careful!" TK cried as he chased after the jelly baby digimon.

Sarai reacted without thought, her arm snatched out and grabbed the younger boy by his shirt. It stopped him from tumbling over the edge of the raft. TK sheepishly looked to her with apology and tightened his hold on Poyomon.

"Sorry, Sarai," he mumbled.

She could only sigh with a small smile, while Wanyamon shifted in her hold. Sarai suddenly had an idea and quickly took off her jumper. She motioned for TK to come closer, and tied her jumper around him in a cradle wrap and placed Poyomon inside.

"Whoa!" TK marveled.

"This way Poyomon can stay warm and it'll be easier for you to keep him close. Although if at any point you feel too tired to keep carrying him, just let me know and I'll help." Sarai assured.

TK gave a firm shake of his head in refusal.

"No thanks, Sarai. Poyomon is my best friend and digimon partner. He's entirely my responsibility and from here on out I'm going to protect him just as he had protected me!"

Sarai was impressed at TK's vow, but she knew he was still too young to understand the full extent of such responsibilities. In the end she inwardly decided she'd just keep a close watch on the two, just in case.

"Ugh… Sarai, aren't you feeling sea sick at all?" Mimi groaned.

Izzy also looked a little sick from where he sat. Sarai cringed with sympathy but couldn't offer much help.

"I don't get sea sick Mimi."

"Consider yourself lucky!" Izzy grumbled after another wave caused their raft to rock.

"Hey! How about you eat these!?" Wanyamon suggested while poking at Sarai's pockets.

"Oh! Great idea Wanyamon!" Sarai praised.

She'd almost forgotten about those. Izzy, TK and Mimi perked up with interest and crawled closer to where Sarai sat. They watched as the 11 year old girl pulled out a handful of green looking beans.

"What are those?" Mimi questioned with a crinkle of her nose.

"Oh, Mojyamon gave them to me before we set sail. He said their supposed to help with stomach aches. They taste bitter but smell like mint and are really chewy. I'm not sure if nausea from sea sickness counts as a stomach ache, but it couldn't hurt to try."

Izzy and Mimi shared a hesitant glance but still took a bean each. Tentomon, at getting a closer look at the bean, let out a loud gasp of awe.

"Those are rare chewy sprouts! They're extremely hard to harvest as they only grow underneath hard thick ice deep underground. Mojyamon must have really liked you to have given you those. I know lots of digimon who would do anything to get a single one of those!"

Mimi blinked at the small bean then looked to Palmon.

"Is that true?" she asked the plant digimon.

Palmon was starry eyed as she stared at the bean, and nodded her head.

"You can eat them in their seed form like this, but if you plant them the most beautiful flowers would bloom, and you can make all kinds of healing water if you boil the petals!"

Sarai and Wanyamon stare at the full pouch of chewy sprout seeds Mojyamon had given them. They had no idea the gift was so precious and rare. From the looks Mimi and Izzy wore, they too also seemed a little unnerved at the rare gift.

"Wow! That's really cool, don't you think Sarai? Mojyamon must think you're a great friend to give you a gift that special." TK grinned.

"Poyo, Poyo!"

Sarai stared at the pouch, unsure of what she was feeling. She'd never gotten a gift so special from anyone before. At least, not a gift that didn't have some kind of reason. Why would Mojyamon-

"HOLD TIGHT EVERYONE!" Tai cried out.

Sarai quickly stuffed the beans in to her pants pocket, tightened one arm around Wanymon and the other around TK and Poyomon. Izzy, Tentomon, Palmon and Mimi huddled close and squeezed their eyes tightly shut, bracing for the impact of the wave.

"There's no wind here that could be causing these waves!" Matt shouted through gritted teeth.

He stumbled closer to where TK was, and sent a grateful nod towards Sarai for watching over the younger blond. Sarai just gave a short nod back and tightened her grip. Matt still intimidated Sarai a bit, but the older blond had been nicer lately. Sarai was slowly finding it easier to relax around him.

"Maybe there's a ship?" Joe proposed.

"There's no ship around here!" Tai countered.

Then, Sarai spotted the cause at the same time as Sora. Both girls, gave sharp gasps as a rubbery looking island began to emerge from the depths of the ocean.

"It's an island!" Tai exclaimed as everyone spotted the island.

"No! That's definitely not an island!" Sora contradicted.

"It's a whale!" Sarai added.

They all screamed as the raft jumped into the air due to one of the bigger waves. Tentomon corrected Sarai's claim informing them that it was actually a digimon named Whamon.

"Whamon is a huge digimon, but he usually keeps to the deepest parts of the oceans!" Gabumon further explained.

Izzy really didn't like the sound of that. If Whamon usually kept to the deeper parts of the oceans, why was he so close to surface. Unless something- Izzy didn't get to finish his thought as everyone began to scream. He looked forward and saw Whamon's mouth opening wide while swimming towards them.

"HE'S GOING TO EAT US!" Wanyamon wailed.

"NO! DON'T EAT US!" Mimi cried.

They all screamed as Whamon swallowed them whole, raft and all.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai had never been particularly religious, but she found herself clinging to the story of Jonah and the whale from the bible. Desperately hoping there was some truth to the story and they weren't going to die as whale food.

"This must be Whamon's esophagus! And by that I don't mean the Japanese homonym for it that means 'restaurant'!" Izzy babbled as they clung tightly to the raft.

"We know that!" Joe cried with terror.

"He already ate us!" Mimi screamed.

"Where's the exit?" Sora asked

"It must be from his rear end!" Izzy answered.

"I don't want to leave from there!" Mimi wailed louder.

"Like Poop?" Palmon questioned.

"DON'T SAY IT!" Mimi yelled.

Sarai was gripping so tightly to TK and Wanyamon her knuckles were beginning to ache. She wasn't enjoying the swooping of her stomach or the cold sweat forming at the nape of her neck. Then, purple jelly looking substances started pelting themselves at them, barely missing their raft.

"Why are they attacking us!?" Tai questioned.

"They probably think we're bacteria or something!" Izzy answered with Joe screaming his confirmation.

"Whamon's immune system doesn't recognize us as something healthy so it's trying to get rid of us!"

Eventually, their raft zoomed out and landed on a large pool of liquid that seemed like water. The water was still, but the entire area was empty and close spaced. Sarai, slowly loosened her hold on TK, and stepped aside to let Matt comfort his brother. Wanyamon curled his tail around her neck and balanced himself on her shoulder.

As the others tried to puzzle out where they were and what had happened, Sarai felt her heart begin to race with panic. She'd never been particularly good at health studies, but if they'd just been eaten, doesn't all food end up in the….

"The stomach is where the food gets digested, right?" TK questioned.

"Yeah.." Matt confirmed, just as there were red blinking lights and beeping noises.

An orange looking substance started to flood the top layer of the water pool, and Sarai felt her heart drop to her stomach with dread.

"Gastric Juice!" Izzy confirmed.

As Joe and Izzy started to explain what gastric juice did, Sarai was already trying to figure out a plan. The others started to freak out when the edges of the raft started to dissolve due to the acidic gastric juice. It was as she was trying to puzzle a way out that she saw the black gear lodged deep at the top of the dome.

"Sarai, look!" Wanyamon prompted with a quiet gasp.

"I see it," she assured.

Sarai was already taking of her leaf bag and carefully placing Wanyamon down. Just as she was searching for some sort of rope, Sora cried out and pointed at the black gear.

"TAICHI! Look up there!"

"A black gear!"

"So that's why Whamon was acting wild!" Agumon said.

"We need to help him!" Biyomon added.

"Sarai!" Wanyamon prompted which caught everyone's attention.

Sarai was near the edge of the raft, a large length of twine looped on her elbow with a hook like clip at the end. She was swinging it and focusing intently on the black gear.

"HEY!" Matt yelled, grabbing her by the arm just as she was about to throw.

Sarai startled and her foot almost touched the gastric juice, before she fell back into Matt. The older blond glared down at her looking angry, while the others crowded closer.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!? Are you trying to fall in!?" he snapped.

Sarai winced, but pushed to stand. She ignored the intimidation she felt, and gripped at the rope in her hand tighter.

"I wasn't going to fall I just needed to-"

"Sarai, if Matt didn't grab you, you would have lost a foot!" Joe added looking stressed.

"Guys! We need to get that black gear!" Izzy prompted as the burning smell of wood got stronger.

"If I use my vines and attach it to the black gear then-"

"That's why Sarai had the ropes! She had a plan!" Wanyamon argued, standing protectively in front of his human partner.

"Well, I think it might be safer if Palmon used her vines. You were recently injured, and throwing the rope doesn't guarantee you'll hook it on at the first try," Sora tempered, stepping between Matt and Sarai.

Palmon didn't waste anymore time and quickly attached her poison ivy vines to the black gear. No matter how hard she tugged, it just wouldn't budge.

"I think someone's going to have to climb up there!" Mimi quietly fretted from Palmon's side.

Izzy nodded in agreement, but when he turned to the others, Sora, Joe and Matt were arguing.

"She's going to get herself hurt again!" Matt snapped.

"She's trying to help, Matt!" Sora argued.

"You don't need to snap at her!" Joe scowled.

"Hey, can we please stop fighting!?" Gabumon pleaded.

"This isn't helping at all!" Biyomon added.

"I'd say, Matt really needs to relax." Gomamon casually added.

"It's not Matt's fault!" Gabumon growled in defense of his partner, but Gomamon didn't look the slightest convinced. It only served in prompting an argument between the digimon as well, weirdly mirroring their human partners.

As such, the six didn't notice Sarai and Wanyamon sneak closer to Palmon, Izzy, Mimi and Tentomon. Sarai, knelt down to tighten her shoelaces and eyed the black gear with determination.

"I can climb it," she declared with confidence.

"If you fall, you'll die!" Izzy hissed with stress.

"I'll be fine, I climb a lot of trees," she casually reassured.

"I'm coming too!" Wanyamon declared but Sarai shook her head.

"I'll need both hands and-"

"Not alone remember!" Wanymon cut in looking stubborn.

Sarai bit at her lip, remembering her promise. The conflict she felt was tearing her up on the inside, but before she could say anymore, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She looked to find Tai looking at her with a stubborn expression and stern eye.

"I'll go."

"What? But I-"

"You're still recovering from-"

"I'M FINE!" Sarai snapped feeling a spike of irritation but her outburst didn't change Tai's mind.

It did catch the others attention, and they stopped arguing to watch. Tai looked weird, oddly solemn compared to his usual joking self. In this moment, the others knew it was Tai the leader speaking, not Tai the joker.

"I'm climbing it. Besides, you don't have gloves and Palmon's vines really are poison ivy. Unless you want Joe slathering you in more bandages, you should let me do it."

Sarai wanted to argue, but Tai was right. Reluctantly, she bowed her head and stepped to the side, feeling useless and even more like a burden. Wanyamon curled his tail around her leg in comfort but she could only muster a tiny smile. She felt TK, Poyomon and Agumon crowd her on all sides and shook off the negativity she felt in order to watch Tai climb.

Fine.

She would stay on the raft, but next time….next time she'd be of better use.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Once the black gear was destroyed, they were pushed out through Whamon's nostril, otherwise known as the blow hole. Unfortunately, the force of their expulsion destroyed their raft and left them scrambling to swim in the deep ocean.

"WANYAMON!" Sarai screamed, unable to find her little fuzzball.

She spotted TK being helped onto one of the floating logs from the raft, Poyomon safely wrapped in her makeshift cradle hoodie; saw Mimi and Palmon clinging to another. Yet, she couldn't find Wanyamon anywhere. Everyone else and their digimon partners managed to find a floating log.

"WANYAMON!" Sarai screamed once again.

Tai looked over and spotted her wide eyes full of terror, and realized a little too late what must have happened. Before he could alert the others, Sarai took a large gulp of breath and dived under water.

"SARAI!" Tai snapped.

He left it up to Agumon to inform the others on what happened before pulling down his goggles and quickly taking a breath himself. He could see a lot more clearly thanks to his goggles, and spotted Sarai's frantic swimming self. A little ways down he could see a trail of bubbles and an unconscious Wanyamon sinking further into the ocean.

He could tell Sarai was struggling to swim further, as her movement turned a lot more frantic. She suddenly opened her mouth looking heart broken as she screamed the last of her air out in a burst of bubbles. Tai managed to grab her, and keep her in his hold despite how she fought him. He needed to swim back up, already feeling his own lungs begin to burn for oxygen. But, he couldn't just leave Wanyamon behind.

Then, a small white blur zoomed pass both of them, chasing after Wanyamon's unconscious self. It took a few seconds for Tai to recognize the white blur as Gomamon. Relief overcame him and he hurried to swim to the surface, panicking as Sarai had stopped fighting his hold.

He emerged with a loud gulping gasp and greedily inhaled. He could hear the yelling of the others and felt someone swim close to help him with Sarai. He pushed up his goggles and saw it was Joe.

"Get her over there!" Joe instructed, helping Tai swim with Sarai closer to the others.

TK was perched on top of three of the raft logs, with Izzy, Matt, Sora and Mimi and their digimon keeping them tightly together to form a platform. Once they got there, Joe, TK and Tai worked together to get Sarai onto the platform.

"She swallowed water!" Tai managed to cough as he rested against the side of the logs.

"TK!" Matt prompted but the younger boy was already moving.

TK turned Sarai on her side and forced her mouth open and tried to prompt her into coughing. It didn't take long before Sarai was spluttering out water and gasping for air. TK finally let himself breathe and he cuddled Poyomon tightly feeling how his heart pounded in his chest. He never imagined he'd have to use the CPR techniques Matt had taught him back when he'd started swimming classes.

"W-wa-wanya-" Sarai croaked trying to roll back into the water.

"SARAI YOU CAN'T-" Mimi screamed.

"HERE! I'VE GOT HIM!" Gomamon shouted as he swam over.

Matt quickly grabbed the small fuzzball, and gave the digimon CPR meant for babies. All of them held their breath in hope but eventually, they heard a spluttering cough and a weak whimper.

"You did it Matt!" Sora wept.

"Wanyamon!" Sarai cried, reaching for her digimon.

Matt easily passed the little digimon over, and Sarai cradled the furry catdog digimon as if she was afraid he'd break. She looked up at Matt with watery eyes so full of gratitude, Matt felt uncomfortable and looked away.

"Thank you." She croaked.

"It was nothing, just consider us even," he mumbled with a pointed nod in TK's direction.

Sarai gave a soft smile in understanding before looking over to Tai and bowing her head with guilt.

"I'm sorry but-"

"Hey, no worries. I would have done the same for Agumon." Tai brushed off with a grin.

The children and their digimon floated, taking a moment to appreciate the fact they lived through another impossible danger in their adventure so far.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

It's understandable, that none of the children felt particularly pleasant towards Whamon after such an ordeal. Tai was tired, his heart still racing with terror as he had almost had to make another difficult choice. He'd almost had to choose between Sarai and Wanyamon. The other children were also just as traumatized, including the digimon. If Gomamon hadn't been as good a swimmer, they would have lost Wanyamon. If Matt and TK didn't know cpr like they did, they would have lost both Sarai and Wanyamon.

Which is probably why, no one argued against Joe, Sora, Mimi and Izzy taking lead.

"I'm sorry for my outrageous behavior," Whamon apologized.

"You should be!" Mimi hissed as Sora nudged her with her elbow.

"Mimi, it's not Whamon's fault. It was the black gear."

Despite the strained smile, all the children could hear the lack of reprimand in her tone. Sora didn't blame Whamon for his behavior because of the black gear. But she did blame him for not helping them at all. He just watched as they scrambled to save Sarai and Wanyamon, floating without a care, when his huge size could have saved the two with ease. Sora had never been one to hold grudges, not really, but she found herself indulging in the habit the longer she stayed in the digital world.

"My head feels clearer now thanks to you," Whamon thanked again.

"Well that's a relief," Izzy mumbled with a slight sneer on his lips and a sarcastic tone.

Only Mimi and Joe heard him, but neither of them bothered to scold him for his rude words.

"Do you know how far Server Continent is from here?" Joe prompted with little patience.

As Whamon answered, the children silently listened. No one spoke up, all of them just quietly focused on Whamon's words. Perhaps it was the intensity of their focus, or the obvious lack of attention Sarai and Wanyamon was paying the conversation; more interested in clinging to each other. Maybe, it was Joe's impatient glare, Izzy's impassive expression, Sora's strained politeness or Mimi's sneer?

Whatever it was, prompted Whamon into offering them a ride to Server Continent.

"Thank you, Whamon." Sora smiled, giving Mimi another nudge to keep the pink lover quiet.

Mimi held her tongue but only because she knew insulting the whale might cost them a ride. The pink loving girl sure as heck wasn't going to swim to Server Continent. As they settled on top of Whamon's head, they shivered at the cold of the wind.

"At least we'll be able to dry off quickly," Sora idly commented, trying to be optimistic.

"Hm…" Izzy acknowledged.

The computer genius was more relieved that he'd invested in a water resistant computer bag. Joe opted to look over Tai and Sarai, checking they'd not pulled any muscles or something other. He even had a go of checking over Wanyamon despite not knowing much about digimon biology. It reassured Sarai to see him try and from the way the other digimon were hovering anxiously near, he assumed it assured them too.

Matt quietly sat beside TK, idly rubbing at the younger boy's back to keep him warm.

"I did good…. Right Matt?" TK quietly whispered.

"You did amazing, bud."

TK played with the sleeve of Sarai's hoodie, unable to quiet his imagination. If Sarai hadn't given him her jumper to carry Poyomon, would it have been Poyomon in Wanyamon's place? The thought terrified the young blond and he clutched to the baby digimon protectively.

"Poyo?" Poyomon questioned looking up at TK.

The eight year old grinned, not really feeling the smile.

TK was slowly starting to understand what their little adventure in the digital world really meant.

And it scared him.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"Joe I'm fine!" Tai groaned, as Joe instructed him to stretch out his legs again.

The older boy just stared at him, before he groaned and did as instructed. He looked over to the others for a bit of sympathy. Sora only arched a brow in amusement, while Mimi giggled. Izzy ignored him while Matt smirked. TK was with the digimon, staring off into the distance, quietly talking to Poyomon, probably about some story or something.

He at least thought he'd get a bit of sympathy from Sarai, but the girl was busy fussing over her digimon partner. Tai found himself watching the two, taking note of the careful way she cradled the fuzzball and held him close.

"They really care for each other….." Agumon absently mused from beside him.

Joe followed their line of sight and sighed as he mumbled so he wasn't heard.

"What do you expect? Before they joined us, they only had each other. Unlike us, they've been on their own this whole time, at least we had each other."

Tai knows Joe didn't mean it to sound like a jab at him. Regardless, it still stung to hear. He felt his gut clench as it sunk in that he'd almost had to make another impossible choice. He'd almost had to chose between saving Sarai or Wanyamon. Tai clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He'd made a promise and already he was so close to failing again. He needed to do better. He needed to be better.

"It's why we need those tags and crests Devimon sealed away. We'd be stronger if we had them," he gritted with determination.

"Did you just mention Devimon?" Whamon interrupted.

"Huh, didn't know whales liked to eavesdrop," Joe muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, do you know something?" Tai prompted, ignoring Joe and standing up.

All the children grew silent as they anxiously waited to hear Whamon's response.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean by Tags and Crests, but I do recall that Devimon once hid something in a place underneath the waters. "

"Where about?" Izzy prompted with a furrowed brow.

"It's along the way to Server Continent. Please take shelter for a while within my body while I go there, everyone."

At that, everyone exchanged uneasy looks of distrust. In their defense, they'd met Whamon after being eaten by him. How could they be sure he didn't want to just, eat them again? Before they could hesitate any longer, Sarai was already moving.

"Thank you Whamon, you really don't understand how much we appreciate what you're doing."

Matt pursed his lips, while Mimi wore a sour expression. Both children weren't happy with the easy trust Sarai seemed to give the whale. In fact, both Mimi and Matt were starting to question Sarai's survival instinct. They were starting to think the girl was more reckless than Tai and  _that_  was saying something.

"Yeah, thanks Whamon!" Sora repeated, giving a Sarai a smile.

Sarai weakly grinned back and accepted Sora's offer of her shoulder for support. Sora contemplated the girl leaning against her. She didn't know anything about the girl, but what she was coming to understand unsettled her. Sarai….. never seemed to hesitate and Sora wasn't sure if she should consider it a good or bad thing.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

None of them are sure how deep underwater they were, unable to tell anything from inside Whamon. They felt their ears pop due to the changing pressure, but eventually, Whamon opened his mouth to let them out. They seemed to be in some kind of cave.

"As I can't go any farther, I will wait for you here." Whamon assured.

"Will you really?" Matt questioned with a narrowed glare, only to bite his tongue and swallow a yelp when Tai stepped on his foot.

"Thanks Whamon!" Tai grinned ignoring Matt.

"Sarai, maybe you and Wanyamon should wait here," Izzy awkwardly suggested.

Sarai and Wanyamon blinked with confusion at the younger red head.

"What! Why?"

"Well, you both nearly drowned for one!" Tentomon explained.

Sarai couldn't describe the odd twinge she felt in her chest. It burned a little, while her stomach seemed to clench uncomfortably. She looked at the other children and also noticed how they seemed to be looking elsewhere. None of them seemed to disagree with Izzy and that….. that irritated her.

"I'm-"

"No. No. I don't want to hear it. You keep saying that but no more!" Mimi cut off with a glare.

Sarai stayed quiet but her eyes narrowed as her irritation started to shift into something more like impatience. Wanyamon eyed the other digimon, caught up in a silent argument with his own hatch mates. Both Sarai and Wanyamon were growing tense by the passing second.

"You keep saying you're fine, BUT then you go jumping in front of attacks a-and trying to drown! Are you trying to get yourself killed!?" Mimi near screamed.

"What! Of course I'm not-"

Matt cut Sarai off, folding his arms and coming to stand beside Mimi.

"You're too reckless! If we do let you come, whose to say you won't go jumping down a hole or another cliff?"

Sarai started to tremble and for the first time in her short life, she felt something like anger burst to life in her chest. She carefully placed Wanyamon on the ground and did her best to steel her nerves.

"I'm not doing it on purpose, I just-"

"We can't keep looking back to make sure you're still following after us and not-"

Matt never got to finish his sentence as Joe suddenly let out a laugh, that sounded rather mean. Again, Sora inwardly groaned with frustration. Matt had made the foolish mistake of wording things that way, she knew another argument was brewing the second Joe stopped laughing.

"Looking back? Gee I guess we should just leave her behind again, we've done it before right? Great idea Matt!" Joe drawled.

Matt's eyes blazed with fury and he whirled around, almost stalking closer to where Joe stood tall and imposing. TK watched everything and stepped further back, away from the arguing pre-teens. Tai held Matt back with a pointed look of warning at Joe.

"Joe, that was uncalled for!" Tai snapped.

"But was he wrong?" Izzy blandly questioned.

"Izzy!" Sora exclaimed as she joined Tai at Matt's side.

Somehow, Joe, Izzy and Mimi had ended up on one side with Tai, Sora and Matt on the other. Their digimon at their sides, with TK and Poyomon deeper into the cave and Sarai and Wanymon closer to where Whamon silently watched.

Sarai felt her anger disappear as she realized they were no longer arguing against her. Instead….. it seemed as if they were arguing  ** _about_**  her. As she listened to Joe and Matt trade accusations and insults, with Mimi, Izzy, Tai and Sora supporting and defending their respective sides; she couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"ENOUGH!" she screamed.

All eyes turned to her and she stared at them with disbelief.

"Is this why you've all been so weird around me?" she questions.

No one said anything, unable to look her in the eye. Sarai couldn't believe this is why everyone was being so strange around her and Wanyamon. Why they wouldn't let her do anything and always seemed to keep her with TK.

"After we realized we were in the digital world, Joe and Mimi told us you fell too. We needed to make a choice on whether we'd wait for you or push forward." Tai explained.

"It was my idea. I suggested we go and leave you behind. There was a chance we could have waited or even looked, but I-…" Matt couldn't finish his sentence, feeling ashamed and guilty.

After a couple beats of awkward silence, Sarai finally spoke, surprising all of them.

"I'm glad."

"What?" they all blurted in shock.

Sarai looked at them not understanding their reactions. She took a deep breath and continued to speak, despite her nerves urging her to keep quiet.

"You did the right thing, made the right choice." She assured, giving Matt and Tai a smile.

But Joe couldn't just accept that.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!? We left you behind! You could have-"

"YOU COULD HAVE DIED SARAI! DON'T YOU-"

"How can you say something like that so easily?" Matt gritted out through clenched teeth.

The older blond was trembling with both frustration and anger. He couldn't understand Sarai at all. She should be mad, she should be yelling at them not assuring them with a smile. Does she not understand how badly everything could have been? Does she not understand that all she's suffered on her own was his fault?

Matt could take Joe's angry words of blame, he could shoulder the blame and guilt Mimi would pile him with through her worded comments.

But he refused to let Sarai simply forgive him with ease, as if what he did didn't matter. Because Matt was starting to understand something about Sarai…. Something he should have recognized from the beginning.

And he  _hated_ it.

"You had a large group to consider, and Matt had TK. To risk everything on a what if? That's foolish. What's one life compared to seven?" Sarai countered looking at both Tai and Matt.

In that moment, the rest of the children started to clue in on what Matt had figured out. Sora stepped forward looking at Sarai with shiny eyes of both heart ache and dawning understanding.

"Sarai…. That's not-  **ALL**  of our lives matter," Sora gently corrected.

Sarai looked so confused that it hurt the other children at seeing just how lost she was. It wasn't right, so completely wrong, yet none of them knew how to fix it.

They were just kids and for something like this….. they needed an adult.

But all they had was each other.

"Sarai and Wanyamon are coming with us. Anyone disagree?" Tai prompted with a tense tone.

No-one argued against it, and though he grinned at Sarai, she could tell the expression wasn't all too honest. She didn't understand why they'd all changed their minds, didn't really get why she was allowed to come with.

Despite getting her way, Sarai felt as if she'd lost a greater argument that she hadn't even known was happening. Mimi and Sora stood on either side of her and had firm grips on her arms, but their eyes were shiny.

"Here, how about we hold hands the whole time."

"But-"

"This way if any of the boys complain, us girls can team up against them." Sora teased.

"Well, that's a guaranteed win for sure" Mimi laughed as she flicked her hair back.

Sarai felt the pressure in her chest ease and something warm and unsure replaced it. She returned the smile the girls gave her but couldn't make sense of the sudden change of atmosphere. She didn't have long to contemplate it either as TK came running back with a wide grin.

"HEY EVERYONE! POYOMON AND I FOUND SOMETHING!"

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

While the children were caught up with arguing, the digimon sneaked off to the side. They crowded Wanyamon and to anyone else it might have looked like bullying. Wanyamon despite his small form, looked up at his hatch mates with a stubborn glare, daring them to argue against him.

"I'm not Patamon. You can't expect me to simply sit back safe on the sidelines while you all fight" Wanyamon whispered.

"We  _lost_  Patamon, Wanyamon. You literally almost  **drowned!** " Biyomon argued.

"We just got you back! Why would we let you risk yourself-"

Wanyamon cut Gomamon off with a hiss and a glare.

"BECAUSE! Asking me to sit on the sidelines safe while any of you, your partners or Sarai are in danger; is just the same as asking me to delete myself!"

The digimon gave a sharp gasp at that, but Wanyamon was too full of passion and plead. Begging his hatch mates to listen and understand. Wanyamon stubbornly challenged Agumon, meeting the dino digimon's stare without an ounce of shame.

"I'm sorry I never told you I was leaving, Agumon. So this time, I'm telling you right now. You can't stop me."

Agumon could see it in Wanyamon's eyes, he really did mean it.

Whatever it takes…. The little fuzzball would do it all.

And again, Agumon could do nothing but accept it.

When the humans started to follow TK deeper into the cave, Agumon followed without a word. He didn't spare Wanyamon a glance, didn't even acknowledge the rest of his hatch mates. He quietly followed after Tai and the others.

Fine.

If Wanyamon was so stubbornly determined to throw himself into danger, then Agumon would just have to make sure there wasn't any danger for the little fuzzball to charge into.

Tai and Agumon both felt a pulsing drive in their chest.

It was desperate determination not to fail.

Not again.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

After the fight and the discovery of the tags, the children were feeling rather accomplished. They were grinning and laughing, almost as if they'd forgotten the argument and discoveries made before they'd found the tags. It wasn't until they made it back to Whamon, Sarai spoke up.

"I don't think keeping the tags in that box is practical. They'd be easier to steal or lose," she idly pointed out.

"Oh, why don't we just wear them?" Tai suggested.

"Ugh, but they're so…. Ugly," Mimi whined.

Sarai gave a genuine laugh, and the other children were suddenly able to note the difference. They were starting to become a little more aware of their recent addition. When Sarai truly laughed, she didn't just smile, she opened her mouth wide with joy. Her eyes would water, practically sparkling and she'd clutch her sides from how hard she'd laughed. Nothing like her hesitant giggles or her tight lipped smiles.

Sora wondered….. she wondered what could have happened to Sarai to make her so reserved.

Joe was starting to understand that Sarai had yet to truly open to them.

Mimi worried about Sarai, frightened the girl would never stop with her reckless selflessness.

Izzy was growing suspicious, a theory was forming in his mind one that told him the reason for Sarai's actions was for a darker more terrifying reason.

Tai knew he'd have to be better and stronger. He knew Sarai was going to constantly unintentionally challenge him as a leader, and he was determined to win. He would prove that none of them were wrong to trust him as their leader.

Matt didn't think about Sarai.

He thought about his mother and one of the articles she had to write. He thought about the very important talk both his parents gave him about endangered children and unsafe homes. He tried to remember everything they'd told him and all that he'd ever read about the kids who come from places like that. He tried to remember what could be done to help them.

"Ano, Sarai? There's only seven tags!" TK counted with a furrow brow.

The other children tensed at hearing that.

That didn't make sense, Gennai had implied they'd all get a tag and crest. Why were their only seven!?

Sarai however didn't see why that was an issue and grinned at TK before placing a tag round his neck.

"It's okay, I don't need one."

"Of course you need one, Tai said it's suppose to help our digimon get stronger. How is Wanyamon supposed to get stronger without a tag?" TK fretted with insistence.

Sarai looked at Wanyamon and the two shared a smile before looking back at TK with reassurance.

"Well, I guess so long as you guys have tags, we'll be okay."

"Mmhm! Sarai and I don't need a tag, we'll get stronger anyway!" Wanyamon added with an eye squinting smile.

"hm….o-okay….if you're sure." TK hesitantly accepted.

The others accepted the tags too, but shared subtle looks Sarai didn't catch. All of them in agreement, that they needed to talk, needed to address what they'd come to realize about Sarai. Agumon gave a sharp tooth smile towards the rest of hatch mates, excluding Wanyamon and Poyomon, who understood the unspoken message with ease.

If Wanyamon didn't have a tag, they'd just make sure their younger hatch mate had no reason to see battle at all.

Sarai and Wanyamon looked out into the distance, oblivious to the silent conversations being had about them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Notes of Interest: You're really getting to see the consequences of Sarai's influence on Wanyamon, as well as the change in dynamic among the kids and digimon compared to Canon. It's only going to increase from here on out! But seriously, don't be shy to leave a review about what you think or even who you're starting to ship, I promise I read them all :) *
> 
> [Episodes covered: S1ep14]


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't want to reach 10,000 words for this chapter. So this is the first half of episode 15, next chapter will finish it off.
> 
> Disclaimer: Any and All recognizable content does not belong to me.

**Chapter 10: Land Ahoy!**

-  _They worried one day she would quietly disappear, and they'd be too late to find her._

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The others had all fallen asleep, lying on top of Whamon's head and soaking in the sunlight. Sarai couldn't sleep, instead she stared at the sky and cloud watched. It's not like she could move either as Sora, Mimi, Izzy and TK all found parts of her to rest on. She'd long lost feeling in her arms and legs, feeling uncomfortable with her role as a pillow. But, she was too warm and flushed with joy at having friends to care.

The feeling was addicting, something she'd not felt since-

"Hey guys, wake up!" Tai cheered, while nudging at Matt and Agumon with his foot.

The blond boy jolted awake with a scowl, while Agumon continued to sleep. Sarai twisted to peer over to where the goggle wearing boy was beaming and cheering.

"We've reached Server Continent!" He yelled with excitement.

Slowly, everyone started to wake up, but Sarai remained sitting while the others stood to look ahead. Soon enough, they too started to cheer excitedly and chatter among themselves. It wasn't easy traveling across the ocean on top of a whale for five days.

"Aren't you going to wake her up Sarai?" Wanyamon questioned with a swish of his tail.

Sarai looked down at the pink loving girl, comfortably sleeping in her lap. Palmon was already standing with her hands on her hips as she stared down at her human partner.

"Come on Mimi! Wake up! Don't you want to see the Continent too?" Palmon urged as she poked at Mimi's head.

The honey haired girl only snuggled and turned over, wrapping her arms around Sarai's middle and cuddling close.

"I'd rather dream about cake," she grumbled.

Sarai couldn't help the giggle she let out, and carefully shifted Mimi's hat so it didn't get crushed. The others looked over and started to crowd closer, looking down at Mimi with exasperated expressions.

"How is it she always ends up so tired when she puts in the least effort?" Tai absently wondered.

Sarai frowned at him. Again, he probably didn't mean to sound so rude or mean, but that's exactly how it sounded. Thankfully, Sora whacked him on the arm and glared at him.

"Why are you so mean? You should know by now that Mimi's never-"

"worked a day in her life? That's obvious," Matt scoffed with a mutter.

Sarai thought that was just as rude, if not worse than what Tai said. She waited for Sora to tell him off too, but nothing came. She looked over to the girl and saw the conflicted expression she wore. Sarai frowned deeper as she realized Sora agreed with Matt.

"Well she-"

"Is trying. None of us have ever been in a situation such as this. We can all, at least, agree that nothing we've experienced has been easy," Izzy said, putting a stop to the conversation.

The shorter red head gave both Matt and Sora an unimpressed glare. One that seemed to cause both children to feel shame. While she remained quiet, Sarai was the only one to know that for a second, Mimi's arms had tightened around her waist and her breath had hitched.

"We're close enough to land now," Joe blandly announced.

As everyone began to jump down from Whamon's head onto land, Sarai continued to sit. She waited until everyone had jumped before she spoke.

"Tai didn't mean it and Matt's just… stressed," she whispered to Mimi.

Mimi stopped pretending and looked up at her with shiny eyes. The hurt that lurked in their depths shouldn't exist, and Palmon and Wanyamon cuddled close to Mimi to comfort her. They both could hear the others excitedly chatting about being on land again.

"Well, they're not exactly wrong….." Mimi quietly mumbled.

Sarai didn't like the sad acceptance Mimi spoke with, and gripped the younger girls hand in her own. Mimi looked up at Sarai blinking with surprise at the sudden confidence she was expressing.

"Well, Matt's hair cut isn't even that cool a-and I bet Tai floofs up his hair so it can look like a soccer ball!"

Wanyamon and Palmon gasped, knowing it was a sort of insult but not how it was insulting. Regardless, both digimon didn't have the time to ask as Mimi suddenly threw her head back and gave a belly aching laugh. Sarai felt her face grow hot with embarrassment but laughed along with her. She was simply glad the pink loving girl was smiling again.

The others heard the two girls laughter.

"Geez, here we all are waiting and those two decide to have a tea party," Tai huffed.

"I wonder what their laughing about?" Izzy mumbles.

"They're wasting time," Matt scoffed.

"It's not like we have a deadline, Matt," Sora huffs.

"Whatever they're doing sounds like heaps of fun!" TK piped in.

Joe stood closer to Whamon and called to both girls, shielding his eyes against the sun.

"SARAI! MIMI! WE HAVE TO GET A MOVE ON BEFORE THE SUN SETS!"

Mimi and Sarai stood and both hesitantly considered the distance they needed to jump. Palmon had Wanymon in her arms, which allowed Mimi and Sarai to continue holding hands.

"Did I ever mention that I'm not all too comfortable with heights!?" Mimi whimpered.

Sarai shook her head, but both girls could feel how their hands trembled.

"Hey!? How long do you think they're gonna take Joe?" Gomamon wondered.

"Do they need help getting down?" Tentomon questioned.

"I think Tentomon and I could fly up and help?" Biyomon suggested.

"What do you think Matt?" Gabumon inquired as he glanced at the Older Blond.

With little prompting, Both girls suddenly jumped with Mimi giving a short shriek. The two landed with an unsteady thud, but their hands never once let go. The others didn't really get it when the two girls looked at both Matt and Tai before breaking out into giggles and laughter.

"Is there something on my face?" Tai questioned looking to Agumon.

The dino digimon peered closely before smiling wide.

"Nope, Just your face."

Despite the smile on her lips, Sora felt an odd twisting emotion in her stomach as she watched the two girls. Only Biyomon seemed to notice her partners conflict, but wisely kept quiet.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

After bidding polite goodbyes to Whamon, and giving (semi) sincere thanks for his help, the group decided to discuss what they should do next. Izzy had been quick to take out his computer and start typing, which drew both Mimi and Sarai's attention.

"What is he doing, Sarai?" Wanyamon asked as they watched the red headed boy.

"Oh, Izzy is always so caught up in that computer of his," Mimi answered.

Sarai frowned a bit at Mimi's tone, but the honey blonde girl smiled at her with a teasing grin. She hesitantly returned the expression, deciding that maybe she imagined the sharp tone when Mimi had spoke.

Izzy appeared to have not heard Mimi at all, that or he could easily ignore her. Instead he turned to Sarai and Wanyamon, making eye contact with the two and explaining.

"I managed to make a sort of blue print of the area using the port communicator's network. If the signal waves can be trusted, we might be able to use this as a sort of map of the continent!"

Sarai and Wanyamon stared at his screen with wide eyes. Though Izzy was explaining what the symbols, lines and numbers meant, neither Sarai or Wanyamon understood a word. Regardless, they continued to nod and ooh, encouraging Izzy to explain more with sincere fascination.

Palmon worried at her lip from her place beside Tentomon. The two digimon observed their respective partners with wary unease. Both digimon could feel the truth about their human partner's moods through their partner connection. The tension between the two ten year old's grew greater by the passing minute, all the while Sarai seemed oblivious to it.

"Gee, what are you going to do if your battery runs out?" Mimi questioned with a hum.

"I've got a solar powered charger. You can bet as long as there's sun my laptop will be up and running." Izzy blandly answered.

Wanyamon blinked and looked between the two humans with a furrowed brow.

"Huh? Solar powered? I guess I don't really understand all this tech talk," Mimi sighed with a cute pout.

Izzy hummed but didn't bother turning to look at her.

"That's okay. I don't expect many to grasp the intricate terminology."

Wanymon frowned and whispered close to Sarai's ear as Mimi and Izzy fell into a tense filled stare off.

"Why are they talking so weird, Sarai?" the furry digimon questioned.

Sarai had never really had friends before. Did friends talk with such sharp and sarcastic tones? The way Mimi and Izzy talked to each other sounded mean and a little insulting. Then again, Matt and Tai had done the same thing to Mimi earlier, hadn't they? Maybe she was overthinking everything. She darted a gaze between the two 10 year old's the let out a sigh.

"I don't know, Wanyamon. Some humans are just weird."

The two continued to watch as Tentomon and Palmon struck up a conversation in place of their partners. Tentomon started explaining what Izzy told him about solar power to Mimi. While Palmon inquired more about the coding on Izzy's laptop. Wanyamon watched the four before ultimately coming to a decision. He nuzzled Sarai's cheeks and wrapped his tail a little tighter around her neck from his place on her shoulder.

"Maybe, but you're not weird," the furry digimon complimented.

Sarai giggled at the ticklish sensation and savored the warm feeling his words caused in her.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Matt, Sora, Tai, Joe and their digimon partners, watched from a little further away.

"I'm worried about her." Sora began, speaking lowly just in case Wanyamon's hearing would catch her words.

"I know. We all heard what she said in the cave." Joe agreed.

"She's reckless. You all saw! We need to keep a close eye on her without being too obvious" Matt added.

Sora felt a spark of irritation at the way the blond boy spoke. She glared at him and folded her arms, subconsciously mirroring her mother during a scolding.

"What  _you_  need to do is work on your attitude with her."

Matt glared defensively back, until Joe stepped between them with a glare of his own.

"You both have good points, but fighting each other isn't going to do anything to help."

The 11 year old's reluctantly back down due to Joe's interference, but their opinions didn't change. Joe sighed, and adjusted his glasses before looking to Tai. The older boy was worried about Tai as he tended to fall silent and rather broody whenever Sarai was brought up.

"Do you have an opinion Tai?" Joe prompted.

For all Tai seemed to be so open and free spirited, he was frustratingly hard to read. Matt constantly found himself wondering as to what the soccer lover was thinking. A curiosity Sora and Joe privately pondered as well.

Tai played with the tag on his neck, thumbing at the odd carvings and symbols on it. While he'd not been obvious about it, he'd been stressing about the tags and crests. Why were there only seven when there were eight of them? It didn't make sense, and he hated when things didn't make sense. A captain needed to know the entire situation before making his play. A captain needed to know his team mates. A captain needed to be sure he knew where the goal was to win the match.

Tai watched Mimi, Izzy and Sarai; he listened to Joe, Matt and Sora converse.

There was too much unresolved tension among them. If it had just been between two within the group, Tai's sure things would have worked out fine; but the whole team was divided. How were they to win the game if they didn't even trust each other?

"Tai?" Sora pressed.

He clenched at the tag around his neck once more, before letting it go.

"I don't think we need to stress too much about Sarai. Mimi has it covered." He lightly commented with a grin.

He ensured they could hear the relaxed tone in his voice and see the smile on his face. They needed to be assured. They trusted him. He had to show they had nothing to fear. He watched from the corner of his eye as they relaxed and felt a little better.

"You're right. I suppose we should focus on the first crest location." Joe nodded.

Matt just clicked his tongue, but Tai knew it was a show of agreement. The only one who remained quiet and looked tense still was Sora. This time, Tai prompted her for a response. She snapped out of her thoughts and gave a smiling nod in agreement. Tai accepted the reaction but he noted the direction of her gaze. He followed it to where Mimi and Sarai seemed to be laughing with one another, looking to be the best of friends.

For all that he tried, Tai just couldn't puzzle out why Sora would look upset about the other two girls laughing.

At the end of the day, Tai was still just an 11 year old boy, and girls were still weird.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

TK had sat down with Poyomon still wrapped in his makeshift cradle. He wasn't too far away from the others, still close enough for them to see him; but he was far enough not to be a distraction. The younger blond watched all the older children as they talked and interacted. He took note of how they seemed to group off. Matt, Tai and Sora crowded among each other, looking rather serious. Izzy, Mimi and Sarai stayed close together while Joe flitted between the two groups.

"Poyo?" Poyomon prompted as he shifted in TK's hold.

"Sorry I'm not a lot of fun right now, Poyomon." He apologized.

TK couldn't explain how he was feeling. Yet, the concern in Poyomon's eyes told him his digimon friend could sense he was feeling rather down. As TK considered the scenery of Server Continent, he thought the place seemed duller, less bright and exciting as he'd first thought of the digital world.

"Poyo, Poyo! Poyo?" Poyomon chirped.

"I'm just thinking Poyomon, that's all. It's nothing you did." He quickly assured with his best smile.

Matt always looked better whenever he saw TK smile. Matt was just like their mom, so long as TK smiled, both his mom and Matt always felt better. So TK smiled and hoped Poyomon would stop worrying about him. Despite his efforts, Poyomon appeared even more distressed.

"POYOMON!" Poyomon exclaimed looking harried.

"What's the matter?" Gomamon questioned as he joined them.

TK looked down at the seal digimon and hoped his smile hadn't wavered. The last thing he wanted was to worry the digimon too. Not when everyone had been all weird since their argument down in the cave. TK had noticed the digimon tended to group off too, but it was harder to keep track of them compared to the older kids.

"Poyo…" Poyomon whimpered as he nudged at TK's chest.

Suddenly, TK felt like crying.

"I-I just…Can we really find all these crests?"

Gomamon didn't like the sound of doubt and question in TK's voice. It didn't feel right to the seal digimon. TK was the only kid out of their human lot to always smile and laugh. The digimon had come to rely on TK's rather optimistic presence to keep the cheery mood in the group up. Gomamon had always thought TK to be the perfect partner for Tokomon. He knew he needed to fix the younger blond's mood as soon as possible.

"What are you talking about? Sure we will! We found the tags easily didn't we? Just you wait, we're totally going to find those crests!" Gomamon encouraged.

TK bit his lip and the tears in his eyes started to fall. Although he made sure to hide his face and be quiet. If Matt or the other kids saw him cry it might start another fight and TK really didn't want to talk about it.

"B-but Sarai and Wanyamon almost drowned and-"

Gomamon cut the younger blond off by jumping at the boy and resting his paws on TK's lap. He stared at the young kid intently, hoping the boy understood just how serious he was. TK blinked in surprise and Poyomon mirrored his reaction.

"But they didn't and that's what's important! You can't keep going if all you ever do is worry about the what if's. I know you can't. All we can do is hope for the best and push forward. We never give up on that hope because giving up is just as bad as doing nothing!"

Gomamon's outburst had garnered a bit of attention from the others, but no one heard what he said properly. They only noticed the startled expressions both TK and Poyomon wore, along with Gomamon's unusually serious look.

Joe made his way over, followed closely by Matt, Tai, Gabumon and Agumon.

"Is everything okay?"

TK rubbed at his eyes and took note of the concern on the older boys faces. Gomamon was right and TK needed to stop being so down. They were all together and- and so what if things are getting scary. They were alive, had new friends and will be able to go home once they got the crests!

This time, when TK smiled he wasn't pretending.

"Yup! All better now, I was just being silly"

The boys looked unsure but Poyomon chirped up and began to wiggle causing TK to laugh. Only then did they seem to relax. TK made sure to give Gomamon a grateful grin which caused the seal digimon to wink back.

TK was still scared of what else they may face…..but he was determined to hope for the best.

Poyomon could feel the determined drive of his human. While he may be but a baby, the warmth and strong pull of such emotion resonated with the small digimon. The sensation felt familiar, almost as if he'd felt it before, like a memory. However, Poyomon was too young to really focus on such strange emotion and soon grew distracted by a nearby commotion.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai nibbled at her lip as she contemplated their supplies again. They'd lost a lot of supplies thanks to their encounter with Whamon. It was a miracle they managed to last those five days of ocean travel, seeing as Whamon hadn't slowed down and they weren't able to cook anything on his back. It probably would have been rude and rather morbid to fish off the Whale digimon's back anyway.

"I think we need to re-stock," Wanyamon announced as he snuffed about the bags.

Sarai gave a distracted nod as she tried to puzzle out the best approach for their supply situation. Only five of them had bags to carry supplies, and for a group of eight humans, that would be more than enough. However, when she factored in the digimon, which upped their group count to 16 that was less than she liked.

Joe's bag primarily had all their first aid and medical needs; and Izzy's bag didn't have much room for anything other than his computer needs. Mimi's bag was the biggest, second to Joe's, but carried their camp supplies such as ropes, threads etc. The pink lover also couldn't carry much as she wasn't exactly the strongest. Which left Sarai and TK to carry most of the food. Unfortunately, Sarai's handmade leaf bag hadn't held up as greatly as she hoped when they fell into the ocean. The currents must have been too strong and she worried it would give out soon.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked as she joined the two.

"We're going to need to re-stock as our food rations aren't looking too great. I'd say we have enough to feed everyone for the next two days if we limit ourselves to one food break. Which is a risk as we're in a new area and might encounter hostile digimon."

Sora frowned as she considered the bags as well.

"Are you sure? Maybe if we re-distribute everyone's rations we could make it stretch," she suggested.

Sarai considered it but ultimately shook her head.

"Not if we want the digimon to be at full strength. If we do that, we'd have to prioritize TK and the digimon and hope we come across somewhere we can restock by tonight."

But then Wanyamon bounced and adamantly disagreed.

"No way! You humans need food just as much as we do! If you don't eat enough how are you going to be able to travel?"

Sarai sighed but gave a small smile at Wanyamon's insistence.

"It'll only be a little while, Wanyamon. Besides, I think we have enough water to keep us satisfied."

Sora was surprised when Wanyamon jumped and head butt into Sarai's chest. Sarai stumbled back but easily held the digimon in her arms. Wanyamon glared up at Sarai and stubbornly spoke out.

"If you don't eat then I won't eat either!"

"Wanyamon!" Sarai exclaimed.

Sora was made aware of the other's growing quiet. She turned and found Tai and Matt joining her on either side as they watched Sarai and Wanyamon argue. The little fuzzball was mulishly refusing to hear Sarai's reasoning. Just as Sora was about to interrupt the arguing duo, Sarai let out a resigned sigh.

"Fine. Then we'll compromise. We can halve our rations and add it to the other digimions. You and I can share the remaining half and the others won't need to. It won't last them for two days, but maybe a day and a half."

Wanyamon grinned and Sarai gave an affectionate smile that was mostly fond rather than irritated. The others could only blink at how the duo were so at ease with their plan. Matt couldn't stand being quiet any longer and spoke up with a huff.

"Gabumon and I will do the same."

"What?" Sarai blurted looking confused.

"We'll do the same and halve our rations. In fact, if we do it, you and Wanyamon won't need to."

"T-That's- You don't need to do that. Wanyamon and I are fine with-"

"You're still recovering. You need the energy," Matt argued.

Sarai fell silent for a few moments before she spoke again. Sora noticed the twitching of Sarai's brow and realized the girl was getting frustrated, possibly irritated. She was just about to tell Matt to cool it with his attitude again, but Sarai spoke up before she could.

"But Gabumon and Agumon are our first line of defense! They should be priority-"

"Sarai's got a point, but Matt's not wrong. Gomamon and I can halve our rations!" Joe interrupted.

Matt glared and Sarai looked bewildered.

"I already said that's not-"

Izzy piped in next with a furrowed brow and factual tone.

"I don't really eat much anyway, so Tentomon and I could do it. As our first response for medical attention we need Joe's mind to be focused!"

"Well if Izzy's saying that, then I'll do it. With all his computer stuff Izzy will need to focus just as much as Joe." Mimi shrugged with a bright smile at Izzy.

"You need the energy to keep up" Izzy bluntly commented.

Mimi's cheeks turned a dark red as she glared at Izzy, but Sarai was too confused to focus on their interaction.

"I can do it!" TK piped up but the resounding and stern no from everyone left him pouting in a sulk.

Sora and Sarai could only watch as everyone started to argue. How did this happen? It all seemed so simple earlier and now everyone was arguing. Sora looked at Sarai but froze when she noticed how distressed the other girl looked. In fact, Sarai looked as if she was going to cry.

"HEY! QUIET DOWN EVERYONE!" Sora yelled.

She had her hands on her hips and felt all eyes turn to her. She couldn't properly explain the surge of protectiveness she felt for Sarai. Maybe it had something to do with what happened in the underwater cave? Maybe it was because she saw how frustrated and teary eyed Sarai appeared? Regardless, Sora couldn't take it anymore.

They meant well but it was clearly upsetting Sarai.

Sarai rapidly blinked away the slight blur of her vision and looked to Sora like everyone else. The red haired girl had a stern glare fixed on all of them, looking very much like an angry mother.

"Arguing about this isn't going to solve anything! And while I agree that Sarai shouldn't be the one to give up half her rations, I also don't think any of us should either."

Now that everyone was listening, Sora eased out of her scolding stance and softened her gaze as she turned to Sarai. She placed a hand on both Sarai and Wanyamon smiling earnestly before speaking.

"I know logically your solution is probably the best idea we have at the moment. But none of us would be able to just agree with such a thing."

Sarai was suddenly aware of everyone's eyes now on her. She ignored her urge to shuffle her feet, feeling uncomfortable and confused by the strange glint in their eyes as they looked at her. The confusing emotions only added to her frustrations and she bit her tongue to silence her initial want to shout at them.

Wanyamon, on the other hand, felt no such restraint and spoke out for both of them.

"You're all just trying to baby us again, aren't you!?" he accused.

"Of course we're-"

"You are! Sarai and I did just fine on our own! We survived  _and_ we found you! We fought bigger digimon and- and we ate even less than this! We walked and ran further and faster! We-"

Wanyamon was so incredibly riled with passionate need to defend and prove him and Sarai's success to the others; his cat like eyes began to fill with tears. He would have shouted and said more if Sarai hadn't cuddled him closer and began to comfort him with soothing words. Wanyamon sniffled and hid his face, angry and frustrated with himself and the rest of their group. He did his best to stop crying but he was Wanyamon not Gaomon and was more vulnerable to emotions at this level.

"It's okay Wanyamon, come on, stop crying." Sarai hushed as she stroked his fur.

"It's not fair! We're not useless! W-we-"

"I know" she soothed.

Neither Sarai and Wanyamon wanted to look up.

They could still feel everyone's eyes watching their every move.

"We don't think you're useless!" Biyomon firmly corrected.

Sarai looked down at the pink bird, hesitant to believe the digimon.

"It's true! We think you're amazing!" Biyomon pushed.

Biyomon started to list all the ways she believed Sarai and Wanyamon were helpful. Then Gomamon and Gabumon joined her followed by the rest of the digimon and TK. Sarai felt her cheeks begin to fill with a hot heat of embarrassment. She looked to her fellow humans but they all smiled at her and silently supported and agreed with their digimon partners.

"We can figure something else out, okay?" Sora smiled when the digimon finally finished speaking.

Sarai and Wanyamon shared a glance, considered the group around them before looking to each other again.

Sarai inhaled deeply, chasing away the nervous twists and uncomfortable churning in her belly. She bowed so her and Wanyamon's foreheads could press together and whispered what was becoming their own little motto.

"Not alone anymore, remember."

Wanyamon sniffed and swished his tail in acknowledgement.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

After making sure TK was okay, Tai and Agumon wandered a little further off. The two did their best to puzzle out what their next best move would be. As it was his idea to search for the crests, Tai wanted to be double sure of whatever plans he might suggest to the others.

"You sure you've never been on this side of the ocean before, Agumon?" Tai questioned.

"Sorry Tai. All I can ever really remember is waiting for you!"

The goggle wearing boy let out a sigh but gave a quick grin to his digimon partner. As sweet as Agumon's words were, it wasn't much help. The duo wandered a little further searching for some sign or other of which way they should go.

It's no surprise Tai grew frustrated shortly after.

"Ah Geez! The least that old geezer could have done is give us a Map of where those crests were!"

"But I thought he did give us a map?"

"Not a very helpful one. Izzy said it was basically an outline of Server Continent and how far away it was from File Island. There weren't any markings to show where some digimon might have created a village like the Yokomon."

"That's terrible!"

"Mmhmm, if we had a better idea of where some of these villages were, we would be able to rest and re-stock easier. Which means we could have spent more time looking for the crests!"

Only after he'd spoken his frustrations out loud, did Tai begin to feel angry. A feeling Agumon immediately sensed through their partnered connection. The orange digimon shifted uncomfortably due to the emotion, it tasted like ash on his tongue and twisted his insides strangely. It made Agumon feel as if his heart had grown hard and heavy like a rock, while his code had froze.

By some saving grace, Agumon took a huge breath and caught the scent of something familiar. Tai felt something between them shift and looked to his digimon partner with concern.

"What is it buddy?" He prompted.

Agumon sniffed the air several times, shifting positions and following his nose. Finally, he blinked with excitement and relief.

"I smell Koromon!"

"You do!? Which direction?"

Tai quickly took his spyglass from his pocket and pointed it in the direction Agumon said. Through it he managed to spot a gathering of green in the far distance. The bubbling euphoria of excitement overwhelmed the two and they rushed back to the others to share the news.

"HEY! EVERYONE, HEY! Agumon and I found something!"

Tai noticed how everyone jumped at his rival, but was too excited to wonder about the tense silence among the group. It was only as he revealed he saw trees and Agumon smelled Koromon, that the others seemed to relax.

"Did you hear that, Sarai? Guess there's no reason to have to halve our rations." Sora teased while nudging Sarai.

Sarai looked bashful and Tai could only blink in confusion.

"Huh? Why would we need to halve our rations?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter anymore. How far out do you think we'll have to walk?" Sarai questioned, changing the topic.

Tai considered pushing the topic, he really wanted to know what he had missed. However, he managed to catch the pointed glare Matt was giving him and easily took the hint. Reluctantly, Tai gave his estimate of the walking distance and soon they were all getting ready to start walking,

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

The desert was hot, just being in a t-shirt didn't seem to make anything better. Sarai couldn't help but wonder how TK was fairing as he was wearing the most layers. She only hoped the little guy didn't overheat himself.

"Uggh! What I wouldn't give to have a bath right now!" Mimi whined.

Sarai was suddenly aware of the stickiness of her skin and the hot smell of sweat. She wiped at her forehead and quietly groaned with disgust at the wet substance. She faintly heard Joe complain about the flat scenery and gave a quick scan of their surroundings too. The desert seemed endless and she suddenly questioned if Tai  _actually_  saw trees or just another illusion.

"Hah! Bet you miss the ocean now, huh Mimi!?" Gomamon panted.

Sarai looked at the seal digimon and noticed the dryness of his coat and reddening of his furred cheeks. Gomamon was a water type digimon, right? Is he really doing okay in the desert? She remembered Palmon was a plant and worriedly looked at the green digimon. Palmon appeared to be doing better than Gomamon at least. Her leaves only seemed a little wilted from the sun.

Sarai didn't really think about it. She reached for her makeshift log bottle and scooped Gomamon off the ground. The seal digimon let loose a surprised yelp that caused the group to stop briefly.

"What's the big idea?" Gomamon huffed.

Sarai tipped a bit of her water on the seal digimon's head and carefully combed it through his fur. Gomamon let out a loud sigh of relief, almost purring at the cool sensation.

"Gomamon! Why didn't you say something!?" Joe scolded with a bit a guilt.

"About what? I'm totally fine," Gomamon shrugged.

Sarai knew the digimion didn't want to make a fuss so she hastily spoke.

"Sorry. It's just- Gomamon reminds me of a seal a-and I think seals are supposed to be cold-skinned? I thought he might be like an ice-pack if I wet him a little."

Everyone stared at her as if she'd said something stupid, and Sarai burned for another reason other than the hot sun. Wanyamon, who had given up on bouncing and opted to ride on her shoulders, snuggled against her cheek, hiding his giggles. It was such an obvious lie, that Saria felt incredibly embarrassed.

"Oh yeah, totally! Gee, you sure know your stuff!" Gomamon agreed looking completely sure of himself.

Tai and Agumon had turned away with their shoulders shaking. Gabumon looked amused while Matt rolled his eyes. Sora giggled behind her hand and Biyomon mimicked her. Izzy looked thoughtful while Tentomon looked as if he was smiling.

Joe was the only one who made it obvious he didn't believe him, but with Gomamon, Wanyamon and Sarai giving him smiles, he could sigh in defeat.

"Just don't overwork yourself, okay. At any point if you get tired, just pass him over and I can hold him for you."

Sarai grinned feeling like melted chocolate at seeing the obvious care Joe felt for Gomamon.

"You got it Joe," she agreed.

They continued their trek across the desert, but this time with Sarai carrying both Wanyamon and Gomamon. They had probably walked for another 30 minutes or so when Mimi started to huff again.

"How long is it gonna take us to get there!"

"I don't think it's much further Mimi," Palmon attempted to assure.

Mimi was by no means happy with her comment, yet before she could set off into a rant, Agumon stopped.

"What is it Agumon?" Tai prompted.

"Koromon…. I think we're getting closer."

The children squinted towards the distance and sure enough they spotted a gathered amount of green. Their spirits rose and they gave a short cheer before hurrying their pace just a bit. Sarai couldn't help but give a happy sigh once they finally left the desert and entered the forest of trees. The cool shade and slight breeze was exactly what she needed.

"Let's take a break." Matt announced.

"Huh? But we're so close to the Koromon?" Tai argued.

Matt glared at the goggle wearing boy and tilted his head to where Sarai was leaning against a tree with TK sitting by the roots. Tai sighed but gave a nod and so they took a short break. If anyone were to ask, Matt would stubbornly argue he'd only joined Sarai because TK was with her. However, no one would bother to point out that TK didn't tell Matt to offer some of his water.

"Wha- Oh, you don't have to-"

"Just drink it. You used a lot of yours on Gomamon, and since were so close to the Koromon we don't need to worry too much about rations."

Sarai still eyed the bottle warily, but hesitantly accepted the offer. She didn't drink much, only planned on taking a quick sip and handing the bottle back. However, the intense glare Matt kept trained on her prompted her to drink her fill. The water felt heavenly, soothing the dryness of her throat and helping her cool down. She blushed when she noticed the satisfied twitch Matt's lips gave.

"Um…. Thanks."

"Tch, whatever…" Matt scoffed but he too wore an embarrassed blush.

The two children mentally groaned at how foolish they must have seemed to the other. Thankfully, Tai's impatient shouting disrupted the awkwardness between the two.

"Hey? Are you two done resting or what? We wanna make it to the Koromon before the sun sets, you know!"

Matt scowled as he marched his way back to the others with Sarai hurrying to follow. When they reached them, Tai eyed the two with a quirked brow and frown.

"Geez, what took you so long?"

"None of your business, lets just go." Matt sneered.

"Sorry! It was my fault, I was taking too long a break and Matt-"

The older blond scowled and cut Sarai off roughly.

"She was thirsty and didn't have enough water so I gave her mine. Now can we go already!?"

Sarai clenched her fists at her sides and looked at her shoes. Matt found himself under another glare from Sora filled with warning. To his great luck, Mimi distracted them all by letting out a shriek.

"EEP! There it is! Come on Sarai! Oh I really hope they have a bath here!"

Before anyone could blink or think to stop the pink lover, Mimi latched onto Sarai's arm and dragged the girl towards the village. Mimi was running so fast they almost lost sight of the two girls.

They weren't concerned until they lost sight of the girls and heard a high pitched scream that worried all of them.

"MIMI!"

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

By the time the others made it to the village, they discovered it was full of Pagumon rather than Koromon. Agumon narrowed his eyes with suspicion. It was clear to the orange dinosaur that something wasn't right and it worried him. Tai noticed the glint in Agumon's eyes and subtly nudged the digimon. The two shared a look but didn't get the chance to speak as they heard another alarmed shout, only this time it was from Sarai.

"SARAI!" The children yelled as they ran deeper into the village.

They find Palmon who looks aggravated and angry as she glares at the Pagumon.

"Palmon! What happened? Where's Sarai and Mimi?" Sora questioned.

"And Wanyamon!?" Gabumon added noticing the fuzzball wasn't with Palmon.

"The Pagumon took them!" She growled.

Izzy, Joe, Matt and Tai shared looks of surprise as they'd never heard the plant like digimon sound so mad before. Tentomon hovered by Palmon's side and easily assured her they'd find Mimi, Sarai and Wanyamon.

"OVER HERE!" TK cried pointing towards one of the hutts.

The children rushed to where he stood and therefore didn't hear the whispered words shared between Tentomon, Palmon and Gomamon. They also didn't witness the threatening glare the three leveled towards the Pagumon before hurrying to catch up with the others.

Tai took the lead, following after Agumon who was using his nose to track down the girls. They barely took note of the hutt's rather impressive design, too worried about their friends. Sora is the one to spot Mimi's hat they hurry over to the discarded items.

"And look, this is Sarai's leaf bag!" Izzy adds.

Joe hurries further up the stairs and yells that he's found Mimi's bag. Sora is just about to follow but is stopped by Matt's hesitant expression.

"What is it Matt?" She questions, carefully eyeing their surrounding.

"Don't you think the design of this place is familiar?" he warily comments.

"Yeah! It's like one of the bath houses back home!" TK exclaims with a grin.

"What's a bath house, Sora?" Biyomon questions.

But Sora is already hurrying forward to catch up with Izzy, Tai and Joe. She finds Joe looking awkward by some cubby holes with baskets in them.

"Joe?" she questions.

"I swear I didn't know what was in there!" Joe yelps as a blistering blush heats his cheeks.

Sora pulls out the basket in question and finds Mimi and Sarai's clothes piled inside. She knows then without a doubt what just happened.

"I think they're over here!" Tai determines as he swings another curtain open with Izzy a step behind him.

"TAI WAIT!" Sora yells but she's too late.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

While Mimi is happily humming beside her, Sarai feels as if she's going to explode. The heat of the bath is pure bliss to her aching muscles, but she's never shared a bath with anyone before. Not since she was a baby at least. Mimi had no shame and literally stripped Sarai of her clothes herself before pushing the girl into the bath.

"Oh come on Sarai! Isn't this the best!" Mimi grinned as she moved closer.

Sarai scrambled to put space between them feeling both flustered and awkward at having a naked girl beside her. She looked upwards and sunk deeper into the water, covering herself best she could with her hand. Wanyamon emerged from his deep dive and settled on top of her head, his tail swishing happily.

"It sure is, don't you think so?" Wanyamon sighed.

Sarai was happy her little fuzzball was relaxing, but she was too overly conscious about Mimi being naked beside her. Logically, she knew there was no real reason to be embarrassed, they were both girls but still… this was too much.

"Geez Sarai, its like you've never been to a bath house with how shy you are." Mimi huffed.

Sarai sunk deeper into the water until only her eyes upwards remained dry. Mimi gave a gasp of surprise and moved closer, causing Sarai to squeak and tightly shut her eyes.

"No way! You've never done this before? Why not?"

"I-I I'm only half Japanese you know. I grew up in America a-and w-was home schooled most of the time because we traveled a lot."

Mimi didn't need Sarai to elaborate any further as she could figure out the rest on her own. The pink lover hadn't exactly been devious with her actions, but there was a reason she'd practically forced Sarai to share a bath with her. Mimi had needed to know, she just wanted to be sure that whatever Sarai experienced at home wasn't permanently etched into her skin. Now, she felt a little guilty for practically bullying the girl into bathing with her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. Well, there's plenty of towels in that basket, why don't you go grab one for both of us. We can cover ourselves with them in the water as we wash up."

Mimi gave her best reassuring smile and giggled at the cute and grateful nod Sarai gave. It was hard for Mimi to remember that Sarai was actually a year older than her, especially as she acted so shy. Mimi promised to close her eyes as Sarai got out, and hummed blissfully with Wanyamon floating nearby.

"Mmh this is paradise!" she sighed.

Sarai carefully hurried over to the towel basket, feeling a little cooler now that she was out of the water. She peeked over and slumped with relief at seeing Mimi's eyes still closed. She took advantage of the moment to try and further calm her racing heart and flushed cheeks. A sudden wave of dizziness overcame her and she knew it was due to her constant exposure to heat throughout the day. She spied some water bottles on a stool and moved to grab one, still wet and naked. She figured it would be okay as it was only Mimi and Wanyamon with her and would only take a second.

The water tasted delicious and she drank as much as she could, practically inhaling it. She was in the middle of capping the bottle when she heard noises from beyond the closed curtain. She wondered if it were the Pagumon but got distracted by Mimi's giggling humming.

Of course it's in that moment the curtain swung open and a certain goggle wearing boy stepped forward.

Sarai is frozen in shock, naked as the day she was born with the bottled water loosely held in her hand. She's dimly aware that Mimi is still oblivious as she lifts one of her legs in the air and continues to hum. She's practically holding her breath, terrified to move in case it draws attention to where she stands. To her misfortune, Wanyamon seems to sense her terror and calls her name with concern, practically drawing all focus to where she nakedly stands.

Crimson brown orbs meet chocolate brown eyes and the steamy room spikes higher in temperature. Tai doesn't even realize his eyes have drifted downwards until the high pitched scream breaks the sudden spell he'd fallen under. Sarai is burning from the inside out and the room feels as if it's spinning. She covers herself best as she could, thankful she'd intended to wash her loose long brown hair as it helped shield her body.

Her screaming alerts Mimi who turns and sees Tai's red face along with Izzy's frozen expression that turns a dark red by the second. Then Mimi is screaming and throwing whatever she can grab nearby.

"GET OUT OF HERE YOU PEEPING TOM'S!" Mimi screams.

Sarai is stumbling back to where the towels are and desperately trying to cover herself while Tai and Izzy cry out in pain.

"N-No! That's n-not why we-UGH!" Tai stammered as he fell backwards after getting hit in the face with a basin. Izzy followed soon after thanks to a soap bottle.

The real hero is Sora, who walked over to the curtain and closed it with definite swing.

"I tried to stop you…." Sora sighed with a bit of sympathy as the two boys groaned from the floor.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Tai found his face still burning hotly hours later when it was the boys turn to use the bath. He looked to where Izzy was methodically washing his hair and scowled. How come Izzy was able to recover over their earlier embarrassment while he's still a mess. Geez, maybe the red haired boy really was a computer.

"You're weirdly quiet Tai," Matt casually pointed out from where he relaxed.

TK was too busy splashing with the digimon to really pay attention. Joe wiped the water from his face and squinted to where Tai was sitting. Tai glared at the older blond knowing without a doubt the blond was gearing up to tease him.

"Not still thinking about earlier, are you?"

"Shut up Matt!" he snapped but the blond only smirked.

"Yes, I agree. Do refrain from bringing up today's earlier blunder" Izzy added.

Matt chuckled and pointed with a teasing grin.

"I just don't get how you two didn't make the obvious connection. Especially you, Izzy."

"You know he's got a point. I would have thought your logical observations would have helped you make the connections." Joe agreed.

Tai shifted his glare to the older blue head. Of all the times, now is when Joe and Matt decide to get along!? Izzy levels a cool stare at the two and grits out his response through clenched teeth.

"My…..concern outweighed the logic I suppose. Although, why neither of you warned us beforehand is a factor to consider as well when contemplating who to blame."

Tai saw the pink flush to Izzy's ears and realized the red head was still embarrassed as well. He didn't hesitate to nod in agreement and level his own glare towards the other two. Matt sat up straighter looking annoyed and a little disbelieving.

"What so your trying to blame us? You two should have used your brains a little more!"

Izzy said nothing more, but from the near icy glare he gave, they all could guess what he was thinking. Joe gave a heavy sigh and quietly warned them under his breath so TK wouldn't over hear.

"Look, I'm sure your both embarrassed but think about Mimi and Sarai. It's probably ten times worse for them. I suggest we all just forget about it and pretend it never happened."

"Agreed." Izzy nodded mirrored by Matt.

"Besides, it's not like you two really saw anything. So it's really no big deal."

None of them had a chance to notice the suspiciously silent Tai or the dark red he had turned thanks to TK's big splash attack.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

By evening the children all gathered in one of the bigger rooms at the Pagumon's request. They were all feeling rather refreshed and cool. They even managed to wash their clothes with the help of Agumon's heated breathing.

However all the children and their digimon noticed the near silent behavior Sarai was sporting. Since the day's incident, Sarai barely said a word and kept her eyes to the ground at all times. She went out of her way to avoid all males except for TK and stuck to Sora and Mimi like glue. Sarai also seemed to be hiding behind her long curtain of hair, opting not to tie it back in it's usual pony tail.

Despite knowing it was an accident, Tai felt incredibly guilty and kept his distance as well. All the children inwardly thanked the gods for TK as the cheerful little boy went out of his way to make Sarai smile again.

The digimon were a little more focused on the strangeness of the Pagumon. As the Pagumon sang and welcomed their group, Gabumon and Agumon quietly whispered to each other.

"I don't like this, something doesn't feel right. I swear I smelled Koromon here." Agumon lowly growled.

"What should we do?" Gabumon whispered back.

They both heard the giggles and laughter of Poyomon, Wanyamon and TK from where they sat with Sarai. Agumon caught the eye of his hatch mates and tilted his head shortly to the left, earning a collective set of nods.

"Stay alert." Agumon ordered.

The children remained oblivious to their digimon partners shared communication, too distracted by food and the singing Pagumon.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai couldn't help but be overly aware of where Tai sat. Despite Mimi and Sora's constant reassurances, she knew the goggle wearing boy saw  _everything_. The mortifying memory of their eyes meeting, the terror keeping her frozen in place, felt like it was stuck on repeat in her head. She wasn't angry at Tai, just incredibly humiliated.

"Sarai?" Wanyamon questioned with worry looking up at her from his lap.

She gave him a quick smile of reassurance and continued to feed him. A lock of her hair fell forward, tickling his nose causing him to give a cute sneeze. She couldn't help the giggle she gave at the sound.

"Saraaii…your hair keeps tickling me!" Wanyamon whined.

"Sorry, but I left it out so it didn't smell weird when it dried. I'll tie it back soon enough." She assured.

There was no need for Wanyamon to know she was also using it as a shield to hide from the others. TK stopped feeding Poyomon and looked over to Sarai with a thoughtful frown.

"But why? I think your hair looks even more beautiful when it's like this," TK grinned.

Sarai blinked with surprise, while the others shamelessly eavesdropped. To their relief and amusement Sarai gave a laugh and tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear. She gave a wide smile towards TK and bopped him playfully on the nose.

"Thank you TK, you sure have a way with words."

Matt groaned and covered his face with embarrassment while Tai and Sora leaned close from either side of him.

"Better watch out Matt, or your little brother's going to be stealing all your cool points!" Tai mocked.

"What are you talking about Tai? That kid's going to be a heart breaker for sure. Just look at Mimi!" Sora teased.

The two boys looked over to Mimi who was muffling her squealing and practically choking Joe with all her excitement. The horror Matt wore was worth the act as Mimi and Sora burst into laughter.

All chatter and excitement momentarily ceased when Poyomon was suddenly engulfed in a bright light. When it faded, in his place was Tokomon and TK wasn't the only one to gasp excitedly.

"TOKOMON!" TK cried as he embraced his friend.

The children smiled from where they sat, but took no notice of the shiny eyes of their digimon partners. Sarai tilted her head and smiled as Wanyamon hopped from her lap closer to the joyful duo.

"You've evolved! I'm so glad to have you back!" TK sniffed as he tried not to cry.

"Of course, and this time we'll do even better." Tokomon happily cheered.

"Tokomon!" Wanyamon called causing the piglet like digimon to turn.

The starry eyed excitement in Tokomon's eyes was unforgettable for all those watching. Tokomon jumped and practically tackled Wanyamon causing the two to roll with laughter.

"Wanyamon! Wanyamon! Wanyamon! I'm back! Now we can play and everything just like before!" Tokomon squealed.

The children all laughed as he digimon continued to tumble about, but their happiness could barely measure up against their digimon. Agumon felt a nudge at his side and turned to see Biyomon, he sighed but nodded.

Just for tonight, perhaps, it would be okay to simply enjoy it all.

The next morning, Agumon would regret his decision, but right now, everything felt perfect.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Wanyamon was a light sleeper. A habit he developed after leaving his hatch mates, and after meeting Sarai, he learned to be more alert at night. It was thanks to this habit he managed to catch the muffled squeal and shuffling thumps while the others continued to sleep. He wiggled out from Sarai's embrace, ensuring she remained asleep and followed the sound.

"W-Why are you doing this!?" Tokomon cried as the Pagumon poked him with a stick.

"Because you digivolved" one said as the others cheered and agreed.

Wanyamon felt something dark pulse wildly in his chest as he made sense of the scene. He listened as the Pagumon revealed that they had been acting. Just as Wanyamon was about to attack, three Gazimon appeared demanding to know what was happening.

At the mention of human's the Gazimon seemed to pause and Wanyamon had a bad feeling about it. They approached Tokomon's tied up form and kicked him with mild interest. Again a dark pulsing of something wild bubbled in Wanyamon's chest.

"Well, who would have thought this job would be so easy! Take him to the waterfall with the rest," the Gazimon ordered.

Tokomon struggled but managed to snarl out a response to the Gazimon.

"You'll pay for this! TK will save me!"

A jealous glint appeared in the eyes of the Pagumon and Gazimon, and Wanyamon growled angrily as the Gazimon moved closer to Tokomon.

"You'll never see your human again once Etemon comes!"

It was the terror in Tokomon's eyes that prompted Wanyamon to attack. He jumped out from the shadows and impulsively spat a barrage of bubbles at the Gazimon. Wanyamon stood protectively in front of Tokomon and snarled with his tail swishing threateningly. The Gazimon were surprised but Wanyamon was still several levels weaker than them.

"Take another step and I'll rip you to shreds!" Wanyamon snarled.

The Pagumon were terrified from their hiding place behind the Gazimon. But, the Gazimon only laughed, when they stopped laughing it was because they'd ambushed Wanyamon and succeeded in knocking him out with ease.

"WANYAMON!" Tokomon cried as the catdog digimon slumped unconsciously.

The two were tied up and taken by the Pagumon to the cages behind the waterfall.

"Alert Etemon immediately, we need to keep those chosen children here until he comes."

Meanwhile, back at the hut, Sarai eyes snapped open as her stomach twisted with the knowledge something wasn't right. When the sun rose the next day, its Sora who is the first to know.

She scrambles to her feet and hurries to wake everyone up.

"Wha- Sora? What's wrong?"

"It's Sarai! She's missing!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Notes of interest: The groups dynamic is slowly coming into place. I'm curious as to what you's think of their relationships so far. Next few chapters will be giving Sara and Agumon the spotlight. Also, Sarai's home life is going to slowly be shared with the group as their adventure continues.*
> 
> [Episodes covered: S1ep15]


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The First update for the New year! Happy New Year Everyone! This fic has reached 20 reviews and there are no words to describe how freaking happy I am about it. This fic is my little underachiever that holds a very dear place in my heart out of all my fics. I'm so proud of it and am incredibly grateful to everyone who's taken the time to read it!
> 
> I'm going to issue a chapter warning as this chapter is the darkest chapter I've written so far. I was a little worried but my sorta-beta sister gave her approval so it can't be that bad... hopefully.
> 
> WARNING: IMPLIED OFFSCREEN CHARACTER DEATH. SLIGHT DETAILING OF INJURY AND BLOOD. READ AT OWN RISK.
> 
> I was going to cover Ep 16 and the beginning of Ep 17 but my sister told me this chapter was pretty heavy on it's own and to leave it for the next one.
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> Disclaimer: Any and All recognisable content does not belong to me.

**Chapter 11: To be Reckless**

-  _They learned the hard way that she should never be left alone._

-  **(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai knew better than to call for Tokomon or Wanyamon as she searched. She quietly squinted through the dark of night and whispered the two baby digimon's names. It was a good thing she'd been so cautious as several voices seemed to pipe up, sharing a devious conversation.

"Etemon's been alerted but what do we do if those chosen children wake up before he gets here?" one voice said.

Sarai crouched low and strained her ears as best she could to hear more.

"We distract them. Whatever happens we just have to make sure they don't leave."

"And if they figure us out before then?"

"I'm sure Etemon would understand why we had to kill them. So long as their dead or dealt with I don't think he'll mind. Now come on, we should check on the prisoners. Can't trust those Pagumon to do a good job on their own."

Sarai covered her mouth to muffle the sharp gasp she'd given. This was another trap! The two odd rabbit looking Digimon started to bicker and she used those few precious seconds to figure out her choices. She knew the others needed to be warned, but with Tokomon and Wanyamon missing, she didn't want to risk going back and leaving them to a darker fate. She had a feeling the two baby Digimon were being kept with the rest of the so called prisoners. She suspected the prisoners were the Koromon Agumon sensed.

What should she do?

"Hey! That Wanyamon we snagged woke up and is stirring up a fuss."

"Quick let's go deal with the annoying thing."

Sarai made her choice and stealthily followed the group. She mentally prayed that the others would stay safe long enough for her to come back. They currently had better chances than her anyway. Tokomon and Wanyamon needed her more, she could only hope they understood.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

For whatever reason, the Gazimon chose not to tie Wanyamon up like they did Tokomon. It probably had something to do with his lack of arms.

Their mistake.

Wanyamon growled and snarled at the Pagumon attempting to open the cage so they can tie him down. He'd already released several bubble attacks, proving he wouldn't hesitate to fight them if they came any closer. He knew that they were outnumbered and were safer in the cage rather than out. Tokomon continued to whimper and cry out from behind, hoping one of the children or hatch mates might hear and come to their rescue.

Wanyamon knew they couldn't rely on a rescue alone and tried to figure out an escape plan.

Even if they did escape, they also had to free the Koromon.

Outside, Sarai was trying to figure out a way in. The cluster of Pagumon outside of the waterfall were incredibly vigilant. She could vaguely hear shouts and growls, but the waterfall drowned out most of the sound.

She hoped Wanyamon and Tokomon would be okay until she could get to them.

"That's enough!" A Gazimon growled.

One Gazimon distracted Wanyamon by banging on the cage while another crept up behind the little furball. The Gazimon behind Wanyamon reached between the bars and harshly pulled on Wanyamon's tail causing the baby Digimon to give a wailing howl.

Wanyamon's cry was so loud it managed to bypass the rushing water and Sarai didn't hesitate.

She picked up a nearby stick and rushed out of her hiding place for the waterfall.

"A HUMAN! A HUMAN! A HUMAN HAS FOUND US!" The Pagumon alerted.

The Gazimon had just finished tying Wanyamon to the bars of the cage and covering his mouth when Sarai appeared. With a mighty swing she knocked the two Gazimon out of the way and hurried to free Tokomon and Wanyamon.

"Sarai! Watch out!" Tokomon cried as one of the Pagumon charged at her with their mouth opened to bite.

Sarai yelped and tried to bat the vicious Digimon away, but she soon became swarmed by them. She was too busy defending against all the Pagumon, she didn't notice the Gazimon getting back up behind her. Wanyamon gave a muffled cry of warning but both him, Tokomon and the Koromon were too late.

"ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!"

Sarai dropped the stick she'd been using and gritted her teeth through the pain of the attack. She couldn't stop jolting in place and her scream was stuck in her throat. Wanyamon, Tokomon and Koromon screamed with fear for the human. All of them terrified, as they were unsure what would happen to the human child. Humans were fragile, weren't they?

The attack stopped but the screaming Digimon continued. Sarai swayed in the air before falling back with a heavy thud.

She wasn't moving.

Tokomon found the scene too familiar and the memory replayed itself over and over in his head. Wanyamon was screaming and fighting his binds, crying for Sarai who hadn't moved since she'd fallen.

"Did you kill it?" a Pagumon questioned as they nudged at her still body.

The Gazimon gave an uncaring shrug and instructed the Pagumon to dump her body in the cage with Tokomon and Wanyamon.

"If one human found us it's possible the other humans are awake. Quick go back to the village and keep them from venturing near here." The Gazimon instructed.

As they locked the cage, the Gazimon met Wanyamon's eyes.

They were surprised to find the small digimion's cat like eyes to be a dark blood red as it glared at them. While a little unsettled, the Gazimon brushed the feeling off and mocking sneered in return.

The left Wanyamon, Tokomon and the Koromon alone in their cages with an unconscious Sarai.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"SARAI!" "TOKOMON!" "WANYAMON!"

The children had searched the entire village and still couldn't find the trio. Tai searched from his perch on the roof of the tallest hut, squinting through his telescope. Matt just got back from the east part of the forest and Joe was heading back from the west. Sora and Mimi fretted by Izzy as they peered over his dirt drawn map.

"Nothing, no signs of any of them." Matt informed with a grim stare.

Izzy's brow furrowed as he added another cross to the roughly drawn map. Biyomon, Tentomon and Tai were still searching from the skies, but the red-haired boy had a feeling something sinister was in play.

"Maybe Sarai opted to get a head start on her own?" Sora tried to optimistically suggest.

Mimi shook her head frantically and all but snapped at the red-haired girl.

"As if Sarai would even think about doing that!" she hissed.

"Even if she did, why would she take Tokomon with her? She knows how much TK cares for him, and I doubt Tokomon would leave TK behind." Joe reasoned.

But they all understood what Sora was trying to do. It was better to hope Sarai had left on her own rather than the alternative.

That she was kidnapped right under their noses.

"Hey! Anything?" Tai cried out from his perch.

The children shared an uneasy look before shaking their heads. Though he was too high up to see properly, they knew their leader wasn't dealing well with the situation.

"He's losing it." Matt muttered.

"It is a lot of pressure." Izzy countered.

"Stop it. I trust Tai." Sora scolded but her eyes showed her worry.

But Mimi scoffed and brazenly spoke the truth as she always did.

"Trust him? Sure. But trusting him to lead us home is nothing compared to somebody's life."

"Mimi." Joe scolded and the pink lover huffed but didn't apologise for her words.

"We're going to find them, right Matt?" TK shakily whispered.

They'd not noticed him join them and hastily looked away from the teary-eyed child. Allowing the two brothers a bit of privacy. Although Matt assured his brother, it was obvious even he was growing worried.

"They're not by the waterfall!" the Pagumon announced as they bounced to join them.

Izzy gave a nod in their direction and crossed the waterfall drawing off on his dirt map. The children missed the glint of cruel glee in the Pagumon's eyes as they discussed where else they should search.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

While the children were gathered around Izzy and his map, Gabumon, Gaomon and Palmon had wandered out of sight. They gathered a fair distance away from the village and shared a low whispered discussion.

"I knew we shouldn't have let our guard down! I knew it!" Palmon hissed with anger.

Gabumon gave a low growl of his own, warning her to keep her voice down. Gomamon was no help of course, the seal Digimon was more likely to encourage the plant Digimon than calm her. It was up to Gabumon to be the voice of reason, even if his own instincts were demanding he rage the Pagumon village to the ground.

"Don't do anything stupid, Palmon." Gabumon carefully ordered.

"We should tear this place apart! They've gotta be here somewhere. I don't trust those sneaky Pagumon one bit!" Gomamon snarled with a feral glint in his eyes.

Palmon nodded her head in agreement, but once again Gabumon growled at them with warning.

"Agumon's orders were clear. We stay close to our humans and keep an eye on those Pagumon until he gets back. We don't know if the Pagumon had anything to do with Tokomon and Wanyamon's disappearance."

"And if they did? What then huh?" Gomamon sneers.

Gabumon allows his anger to show on his face and grins sharply.

"Agumon said we leave them a warning and make sure they never do it again."

A viscous smile appeared on all three digimon's faces as they huddled closer to one another and continued to whisper.

"Now here's the plan…..."

The Digimon were going to make the Pagumon regret messing with their hatch mates.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

As he always did when searching for something, Agumon followed his nose. He didn't call out his hatch mates names, too suspicious to risk being noticed. He never should have listened and let his guard down for a single moment. He should have trusted his instincts more. A mistake he would never do again.

He had managed to catch a whiff of Sarai's scent; certain he'd find his hatch mates with the human. From the scent trail he figured the human had chased after his hatch mates. He didn't know why she didn't alert the rest of the humans of where she was going, but he's certain Tai or one of the other children would say something. Agumon only had one priority in his search, and that was finding Wanyamon and Tokomon.

No one got away with hurting the youngest of his hatch mates.

He'd make them pay.

Eventually his nose led him closer to the waterfall. There Sarai's scent mixed with that of a Koromon. Agumon blinked with suspicion as the Koromon scent was every where in the village. As he moved closer to the waterfall, he heard the whimpering cry for help and recognised the voice immediately.

"TOKOMON!" he cried out.

"Agumon!" the piglet Digimon cried with relief.

"Wanyamon! Sarai! You're all here!" Agumon sighed with relief as he hurried closer to the cage.

It was then he realised something wasn't right. There was strange smell wafting about the cave. It smelt like burnt meat and not in the pleasant sense. Then he properly looked at Sarai and sharply inhaled with shock. Sarai winced as he approached, twitching uncontrollably but looking relieved at seeing him.

"Ah- Agumon! T-thank g-goodness," She groaned weakly.

She had been fiddling with the lock, or at least attempting to. She had a strange twisted pin in her hand but was struggling to keep her hands from shaking. Agumon knew without asking that she'd suffered under the attack of a Digimon and he felt something shift within him. There was a loud clang from inside the cage and Agumon turned at the sound. He found himself face to face with Gaomon who was snarling with feral outrage, a dangerous mindset to be confronted with.

"Get us out of here now!" Gaomon snarled.

Agumon didn't waste anymore time. He fiddled with the lock as Koromon and Tokomon filled him in on what had happened. As he worked on the lock, Sarai seemed to slump against Gaomon who was trembling with rage.

"Gaomon…" Agumon cautiously called.

The blue Digimon snarled, barely maintaining control over his rage. Agumon was no stranger to the feral nature of his hatch mates. He'd suffered Tsunamon in his darker days and survived. But, Gaomon was not Tsunamon and was stronger than Tsunamon. Every Digimon had a dark side, they were monsters after all. Agumon worried Gaomon might have a darker side than he could handle.

" **DON'T"** Gaomon snarled.

Agumon wisely stayed quiet. The blue dog Digimon only calmed when Sarai weakly cried his name.

"Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you….." a sneering voice snickered.

Agumon turned and found himself confronted by two Gazimon.

"We'll be offering the chosen children to Etemon."

"Etemon?" Agumon repeated.

The two Gazimon grinned rather evilly and lifted their sharp talons to attack.

"We'll get rid of you right here."

Agumon growled and prepared himself to fight as they both lunged at him.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Tai tightened his grip on the pole keeping him steady. He'd already looked in this direction, but he continued to search again and again. Despite his rather calm outward appearance, Tai's mind was rampant with stress, panic and terror.

Why didn't he order a night watch? Why did he let his guard down? How could he not have noticed something odd about the village?

Tai wasn't an idiot.

Agumon had smelled Koromon and Agumon's nose never lies. He'd been suspicious, so why did he decide to let his guard down? Stupid, stupid he's so-

"Not a single sight of any of them!" Tentomon pipes as he and Biyomon join him on his perch.

Tai clenches his jaw as his shoulders began to tremble with stress and worry. He looks down and notices the others have gathered around Izzy's dirt map and are discussing something he couldn't hear. It's then he realises he's not seen Agumon in a while.

"Agumon…." He absently says as he looks into the distance.

Both Tentomon and Biyomon look up at him.

"He's late…." He whispers.

Tentomon and Biyomon share a look before nodding and flying once again; Both searching for the orange form of their hatch mate.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai gritted her teeth as her skin felt as if it was on fire whenever it brushed against something. She could barely control the jolting of her limbs but now was no time to slack off. She had to get up. She needed to help Agumon. At some point, she's not sure when, Wanyamon had digivolved into Gaomon and if she could get him to focus more on the lock rather than her, she's certain they could escape.

"Gaomon I need you to free Tokomon while I try to break the lock." She whispered.

She winced as she heard Agumon cry out in pain while the Koromon whimpered. Gaomon growled and she gripped his fur tighter in hopes of getting him to focus.

"Gaomon, listen to me. We need to help Agumon so-"

"You're hurt!" he gritted through his fangs.

"I'm fin-"

" **DON'T LIE TO ME!"** He snapped at her and she quickly cut herself off.

She swallowed, knowing Gaomon was simply worried for her. So she took a deep breath and pressed their foreheads together ensuring he could see directly into her eyes. He was furious, she could see it in his eyes, but she needed him to bottle it all for now. Later, when they survive, the two of them can revisit the topic. She'd sit through an entire scolding from him if he only focused on the situation rather than her.

"Please…. Agumon needs us."

She was asking a lot but Gaomon briefly closed his eyes, took a deep breath and quickly attended to Tokomon. Sarai swallowed the thanks she almost voiced, knowing her gratitude would only anger her friend even more.

Instead, she focused on the lock and willed her limbs to do as she wanted. It took a bit of twisting and jostling but eventually the lock gave a click of release. Just in time too as Agumon was being overwhelmed by the two Gazimon's team attack.

The second the cage opened, Gaomon attacked. Tokomon stumbled out from behind them and quickly hurried over to the Koromon cages. Sarai noticed her stick from earlier and hobbled over to grab it.

"WILD ECHO!" Gaomon cried as he attacked.

"BABY FLAME!" Agumon followed.

"Tokomon here keep a hold on this for later," Sarai instructed as she passed over the rope.

She hoped tasking Tokomon with something would keep the baby Digimon from doing something reckless. It was taking all her focus to free the Koromon and she didn't want the little thing charging to fight beside Agumon and Gaomon.

Though Agumon was suffering more bruises compared to Gaomon, the duo managed to hold off the two Gazimon. But it still wasn't enough as the Gazimon levelled two paralysing attacks at Agumon and Gaomon. The force of it strong enough to throw both Digimon to the ground.

"DON'T GIVE UP AGUMON AND GAOMON!" the Koromon cheered.

Sarai slumped against the last cage no longer able to ignore the burning sting of her wounds or control of her limbs. Tokomon and the Koromon stood in front of her protectively, feeling useless as they watched the fighting Digimon.

Gaomon groaned with anger and his eyes flashed red once more. Agumon could feel Gaomon's angry aura grow darker, and he shivered. There was something wrong about the feeling. Gaomon's aura didn't feel angry but…... dark in a way that was wrong.

Something told Agumon he needed to keep Gaomon from falling any deeper into whatever he was feeling.

He spotted the waterfall and wished it would stop for just a moment. Long enough for the others to hear him cry for help.

"It's no use, no one will hear you!" a Gazimon mocked

Wait… a waterfall…... That's it!

"BABY FLAME!" Agumon cried again.

The ball of fire passed the two Gazimon and hit the gushing water behind them. There was a moment of confusion as Agumon so obviously missed the two Gazimon.

"Where are you aiming moron?" one Gazimon laughed.

But Agumon continued to target the gushing waterfall rather than the two Digimon. Sarai is the first to catch on to what Agumon's thinking and she grins.

"Agumon, that's genius! Gaomon keep them busy!" She shouts.

Gaomon doesn't hesitate.

Gaomon forms a defence around Agumon as Agumon continues to shoot fireballs at the water. Eventually the Gazimon realise the dino Digimon was creating a smoke signal and their efforts to defeat the two increase.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Tai's feeling restless and the last of his calm starts to fray. Just as he's about to climb down and search for Agumon himself, he spots several smoke clouds in the distance. Matt must have been watching him as the blond calls out to him.

"What is it Tai?"

"Smoke! It's coming from over there!"

All the children turn to look where he points and spot the smoke as well.

"Is it them?" TK questions with hope.

The children don't notice the panic that overwhelms the Pagumon.

But their Digimon do.

"That can't be possible! We searched by the waterfall!" one Pagumon exclaims as the group repeat his words.

"It's possible they could have gotten lost around there after you searched," Izzy reasoned.

Tai had already climbed down from his perch on the hut roof. He joined the others with a determined stride and informed them on what would happen. It wasn't a suggestion.

"I'm going to look. The rest of you wait here in case it's something else and Agumon or the others come here."

Matt grabbed Tai's arm, stopping him from simply running off, with a scowl on his lips.

"You can't just run off on your own, especially if you don't have Agumon with you. I'm coming too."

Tai just grit his teeth and shook himself free but didn't tell Matt to stay behind. Before they can make a move to leave the Pagumon piped up with loud cries.

"YOU CAN'T GO! YOU CAN'T!"

"Why not?" Joe questioned suspiciously.

Izzy and Sora crowded close from behind the blue haired boy with suspicious glares. The Pagumon began to sweat nervously as they realised they were soon to be in trouble.

"Well…. Because…." The Pagumon nervously stuttered.

Then they heard a startled scream from where Mimi had been. At her feet was a black looking creature with yellow eyes. They all stared at the creature with confusion as Mimi wondered what the heck it was.

"It's a Botamon." Tentomon exclaimed.

"What's a Botamon doing here?" Palmon questioned.

"What do you mean?" Matt inquired

"Botamon are Digimon who evolve into Koromon. Why would it be in a Pagumon village?" Gabumon answered.

"So this place is really…" Tai puzzled as he slowly realised they'd been tricked again.

The Pagumon began to sweat nervously as the children's Digimon watched them with cruel grins their partners didn't notice. But even the children watched the Pagumon with cold expressions.

"Those tricksters!" Tai growled angrily as the Pagumon started to run.

He stepped forward to chase after them but found Sora blocking his way.

"No, you and Matt go to the waterfall. The rest of us will deal with the Pagumon," she urged.

Tai gave another angry growl but took off running towards the waterfall with Matt following after. The remaining children split up to double check the village just in case there were any other Botamon or Koromon hidden in the village. While the children did that, their Digimon gleefully dealt with the Pagumon.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"POISON IVY!"

The Pagumon whimpered and screamed as their escape was blocked by a series of vines. They were on the edge of the village boarder and had been so close to reaching the forest. Palmon smiled at them sweetly as she retracted her vines and tugged the cluster of Pagumon closer to her.

"Where are you going? Don't you want to play with us anymore?" she simpered.

"No! No! we don't want to play!" the Pagumon cried.

"Now that's just rude. How else are we supposed to thank you!" Gomamon cheerfully grinned with his teeth shining bright.

"DOUBLE PUNCH!"

Tentomon stares down at the Pagumon with silent detachment as the Pagumon whimpers beneath him. Biyomon lands beside him and gives a twittering chirp as she shakes her head mockingly.

"You should be careful you know; tricking people has consequences." She scolds.

The Pagumon wail and cry but the partnered Digimon feel little regret.

The Digital World can be cruel and harsh, a lesson all Digimon learned to adapt to. The Pagumon's mistake was believing the partnered Digimon to be easy targets because they were partnered to the humans.

Tentomon, Palmon, Gomamon and Biyomon would make sure the Pagumon never made the same mistake again.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

"GAH!" Agumon groaned as he fell forward.

Though Gaomon had put up a good fight, it was still two on one and eventually he was beaten. The two partnered Digimon groaned weakly from their place on the ground. But before the Gazimon could attack them further, Sarai swung at them with her stick. The three made a gruesome picture, all of them beaten and bruised with a few burns.

Sarai trembled where she stood with exhaustion, pain and terror.

But the three would rather suffer than let the Gazimon hurt the Koromon or Tokomon.

"Give up, human! You're no match for us!" the Gazimon sneered.

Despite the terror she felt and the pain, Sarai gripped her stick tighter and shook her head. Gaomon pushed himself off the ground and glared at the Gazimon, lifting his trembling fists. Agumon groaned as he tried to do the same, but he only managed to croak out a whispered cry.

"Tai…..."

"Well…... have it your way. You're finished!" The Gazimon sneered as they readied their talons.

It was faint, but both Gaomon and Agumon heard it. Soon the sound grew louder and louder until it was close enough to bring hope to all of them.

"AGUMON!" Tai yelled as he ran.

"Tai!" Agumon weakly tried to answer.

Sarai could barely believe their luck and despite how she felt, she took a deep breath and screamed as loud as she could.

"OVER HERE!"

"Sarai!" Gaomon yelled as he jumped protectively in front of his human partner.

The Gazimon had attempted to attack Sarai while she had been distracted. Gaomon yelped as their talons dragged across his snout causing three jagged cuts to form.

"GAOMON!" Tokomon wailed.

Sarai had dropped her stick to hold Gaomon with panic as the wound was rather deep. The Gazimon would have attacked again, but the stomping thud of feet had them freezing in place. They turned slowly and found themselves under the dark glare of a rather angry human boy.

"Agumon." Tai growled and with a grin Agumon felt a familiar warm light overwhelm him.

**"AGUMON DIGIVOLVE TO…GREYMON!"**

The Gazimon trembled with terror as Greymon grinned down at them sharply. The T-rex like Digimon was huge and much stronger than the Agumon they'd been fighting.

"Get them Greymon!" Tai ordered and Greymon roared.

"It's payback time."

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

Sarai didn't pay the fight anymore attention, too filled with panic for Gaomon. The jagged cuts on his snout started to bleed and her trembling fingers tried to put pressure on the wound. Gaomon wouldn't stop whimpering and shivering in her hold while she desperately tried to comfort him. She'd completely forgotten about her own wounds until Tai reached out to touch her.

"Sarai!"

"Gah!" she yelled as he accidentally touched her burned skin.

"Sorry! Sorry! But we need to go." Tai apologised.

"Gaomon. He needs-"

"TAI!"

Both Sarai and Tai turn to see the rest of the children appear. All of them seem to be running with eggs in their arms and a few more Botamon. Meanwhile, Garurumon began to fight alongside Greymon with Matt riding his back.

"Our digieggs!" The Koromon cried with relief.

Joe, Mimi, Izzy and Sora joined them in the cave as the fighting continued outside.

"We found them locked away in one of the huts. The Pagumon had simply locked them inside and forgot about them. Some of the Botomon had already hatched." Sora informed them quickly.

The Koromon gratefully accepted the eggs and crowded round the baby Botomon which allowed the children to properly focus on Sarai, Gaomon and Tokomon.

"TOKOMON!" TK cried with happy relief as he hugged his Digimon partner close.

"Don't leave me behind okay? You can't do that again," He sobbed and Tokomon could only nod in agreement.

"GAOMON!" Palmon cried with fear as the dog Digimon continued to whimper.

"SARAI YOU'RE HURT!" Mimi yelled.

"Move, let me see!" Joe ordered.

Sarai waved off Joe's attempts at seeing to her and pushed for him to check over Gaomon instead.

"Sarai I need to-"

"No! Look over Gaomon first! Please Joe!"

Helpless to her begging, Joe looked over the Digimon.

Outside, Greymon and Garurumon ruthlessly attacked the two Gazimon with little restraint. There was a small voice in Matt's mind that told them they were being cruel. It pointed out how the two Gazimon were obviously several levels weaker than Garurumon and Greymon.

But…... it was tiny enough for Matt to ignore.

He was too angry, too frustrated and terrified and it was all because of the Gazimon Sarai almost died again, Gaomon was injured and TK cried. Besides….if it was really wrong, Sora, Izzy or even Joe would have told them to stop.

And neither of them had said a word.

"MEGA FLAME!"

Tai watched from the opening of the cave as the Gazimon continued to cry out in pain. The red of Gaomon's blood on Sarai's hands, the burns that covered her skin. All because of them.

'They deserve this….' His mind seemed to whisper.

Tai was tired of being tricked and sick of having his friends injured because of evil Digimon like the Gazimon. He raised his clenched fist and roared his anger out.

"FINISH THEM GREYMON!"

Greymon opened his mouth, his attack building in his throat, only to stop at the sound of an electric guitar.

**(~)-(~)-*DIGIMON ADVENTURE*-(~)-(~)**

With Joe attending to Gaomon, Sarai attempted to walk towards the cave opening to see what was happening. She winced as she leaned against the cave walls but forgot about the pain due to what she saw. A giant orange monkey wearing sunglasses stood above them. He was holding a microphone and an electric guitar.

"Hello, Hello? Chosen children can you hear me?" the monkey spoke into the mike.

Sarai thought he sounded like those Elvis impersonators in Vegas.

"It's Etemon!" The Koromon whimpered in fear.

Etemon?

The Digimon who wanted to kill them?

"We need to run!" She hissed but only Izzy, Joe, Sora and TK heard her.

"Why?" TK whispered fearfully.

"How dare you make a fool out of me…..." Etemon growled into the mike with an unnerving grin.

"Tai…" Izzy warned but the goggle boy didn't need the warning.

The children started to back up further into the cave as Greymon and Garurumon stood protectively in front of the opening. Matt climbed down from Garurumon's back and joined the rest of the children on the ground.

"Everybody. Get ready to digivolve…" Sora whispered to the partnered Digimon.

They all began to shuffle back slowly, all except Tai who stood in place and glared up at Etemon from between Garurumon and Greymon. Sarai tried to step forward, intent on dragging the goggle boy back with the rest of them but found herself held in place by Matt and Mimi.

"What do you think your doing?" Matt hissed as he carefully pulled her back.

"I'm-"

"No. Tai can handle himself." Mimi snapped as she copied Matt and tugged her to the back of the cave.

"Since you've pissed me off…. I'm going to destroy everything in this village!" Etemon announced with a laugh.

Tai clenched his fists as the Koromon whimpered behind them.

"He doesn't know we saved the digieggs and Botamon." Izzy whispered.

"Izzy, we trapped a few Pagumon there, remember!" Mimi quietly reminded, careful not to let TK or Sarai hear.

Matt glanced over at the rest of the older children and they shared a look. When Sarai noticed their strange stares, none of them said a word to clue the girl in to their silent talk. And in turn, none of them alerted Tai to what they'd done.

"DARK NETWORK!"

Black lines appeared on the ground and rose up into to the sky. They pulsed with a strange purple light and stretched over the Koromon village. Then a crackling sound started to fizzle and zap forming purple and red lightning bolts that struck at the village and close to the entrance of the cave.

"GREYMON!" Tai shouted

"GARURUMON!" Matt cried

The two Digimon gave a roar and howl respectively in response and blasted an attack at the Monkey. Only, their attacks phased through the giant digimon and they realised he was only a hologram.

"NOW EVERYONE!" Sora cried.

But before the rest of the partnered Digimon could digivolve, Etemon released an attack of his own.

"I won't let you do that! LOVE SERANADE!" he bellowed before strumming his electric guitar.

A horrible string of music echoed around them and the Digimon quivered in place. None more than Greymon and Garurumon who were soon engulfed in a bright light. When it faded, they were back to being Agumon and Gabumon. Etemon continued to play and screech high pitched yelps and grunted shouts that grated on their ears.

Sarai fell to her knees and clutched at her head as it felt as if her ears were being melted off. She started to scream while Gaomon thrashed in Joe's hold, howling wildly.

"We have to get out of here! They're both having a bad reaction to whatever he's doing!" Joe yelled over the noise.

"Where could we go?" Mimi screamed, struggling to be heard as she tried to keep Sarai from clawing at her ears.

"His love Seranade is keeping us from digivolving?" Biyomon yelled

"Is there anyway we could fight them?" Izzy shouted.

"Maybe if we were able to digivolve to a higher level!" Tentomon replied.

"Tai what do we do?" Matt questioned as he too struggled to keep Sarai from hurting herself even more than she already was.

"This is why Gennai told us to get the crests!" Sora realised.

"Well it's a bit too late to think about that!" Joe snapped.

"TAI!" Izzy prompted as a lightning strike to the side of the cave caused several rocks to fall.

The goggle boy was struggling to think as everything was just too chaotic.

"TAI! WHAT DO WE DO!?" Mimi cried as Sarai had stopped screaming but was crying as blood dribbled out her ears.

"TAI!" Sora screamed as another lightning strike caused the cave to shake.

TK was clutching both Matt and Tokomon with a deathly tight grip as his small chest rose rapidly. Joe, with Gaomon in his arms, had crawled his way to where Mimi, Matt and Sarai were crouched. The other partnered Digimon were busy protecting and shielding the Koromon and digieggs. Izzy was clinging to the walls much like Sora.

Tai's chest was tight, and his hands were shaking, he was sweating profusely as he struggled to think.

"DAMNIT TAI DO SOMETHING!" Matt roared just as a final lightning strike caused the entrance to the cave to be blocked with rocks.

Then a small voice yelled over the chaos, bringing hope to all of them.

"THIS WAY!" a Koromon yelled.

The children and the Digimon ran to follow the Koromon leading them. They ran deeper and deeper into the cave, leaving behind the cackling laughter of Etemon. The cave was dark, and they tripped several times in their haste to run.

Sarai was practically being dragged by both Matt and Mimi while Joe carried Gaomon. The rest had their arms full with Koromon, Botamon and digieggs. They soon came to a stop as they realised it was a dead end.

The rock wall blocking their way had a strange symbol carved into it that looked like a sun.

"Where is this?" Tai questioned warily as the others caught their breath behind them.

"There's a legend that if anything were to happen to our village, we were to escape from here." The Koromon that led them said.

Tai couldn't help but think the symbol looked rather familiar. It's Sarai who figures it out first and she weakly croaks her words. She's not sure what everyone's saying as all she can hear is loud ringing. Everything surrounding her is mute to her ears. She hopes she said the right thing as she forces her tongue to shape the word.

"C-crests… t-the crests…." She croaks.

As if timed, the tag around Tai's neck begins to glow from beneath his shirt. Around them the entire cave starts to glow a bright orange light. Sarai shuts her eyes as the light is so bright to her senses it stings and Gaomon whimpers in Joe's arm. Joe takes note of the two's reactions and mentally starts to form a diagnosis that worries him.

Tai takes out his tag and the symbol in front of him seems to shine brighter. He sees the exact same symbol shine on his tag. The wall slab begins to sink along with the symbol and then floats to slot itself into Tai's tag.

"The symbol…." Tai breathes in shock.

Matt takes a step forward, still supporting Sarai with Mimi's help, and is awed at what happened.

"Sarai's right, it's a crest."

"I have a crest!" Tai exclaims with glee, but above all else relief.

Behind him the other children mirror his relief.

Finally, they're one crest closer to getting stronger.

"Look!" Sora points out.

Without the wall slab, the cave was now open and before them were mountains and trees. The Koromon gave happy cheers while the children gaped with amazement.

"We're in the mountains far away from our village!" The Koromon cheered.

"Then… we're safe!" Joe breathed with relief.

"For now…..." Matt cynically pointed out.

Tai clenched at the crest around his neck and gritted his teeth with determination. The earlier stage fright he'd suffered back in the cave taunted him in his mind, but he pushed it back stubbornly. What happened in the cave no longer mattered. It was a mistake.

He had a crest now.

Agumon was going to be stronger.

He wouldn't freeze like that again and no one else is going to get hurt again.

Sarai gave a weak groan reminding everyone that they'd not escaped their recent adventure easily. Tai focused on the problem at hand but still didn't let go of his crest.

"Sora, Izzy, TK help the Koromon settle somewhere safe for the night. Mimi, Matt we'll be helping Joe with Sarai and Gaomon. Joe what do you need?" Tai ordered.

The children gave nods and set off to do their duties with their partner digimon following along.

Tai never once let go of his crest as a part of his mind was stuck on Etemon.

The next time he saw that Orange Monkey….. Tai was going to make sure he'd never come after them again. At his side, Agumon shifted at feeling his chest sink like a rock and grow cold. He looked over at Tai but found the goggle boy to be busy with obeying Joe's command.

Perhaps…... it's all just in his head?

But the bad feeling Agumon felt didn't fade throughout the night, instead it grew worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Notes of Interest: I told you this chapter was dark. Sarai is definitely going to be in lots of trouble next chapter as she faces the consequences of her reckless actions. There are several in the group who won't let it slide like they did before. Even Gaomon has a few things to say to his precious human partner. As I said, Agumon and Sarai are going to have a lot of focus in the coming chapters. Which means we'll be exploring their partner dynamic with Tai and Gaomon. As for the rest of the kids and their digimon, a dynamic is starting to form already, whether it stays that way... I guess you're just going to have to wait and see :)*
> 
> [Episodes Covered: S1ep15]


End file.
